When the Curtain Falls
by hopefulfeathers
Summary: This is the story of a desperate ballet dancer, held captive within the events of the past until she comes across a strange man in the most unlikely of ways. Is she willing to open her heart and mind up to the possibility of love after all these years? ((OUTLAWQUEEN CENTRAL with a touch of EvilHuntsman))-ON HIATUS
1. Getting Out

**Hello loves! I have a new fan fiction that I really think, I really hope, you'd all enjoy. It's a different one, I think, something that hasn't been done before. But it's something that I hold very dear to my heart. Take it from an actual dancer ;) So please enjoy my** **fan fiction and don't be afraid to leave a comment! I'd love to hear back from all of you!**

* * *

It's Friday. The list is finally up. And though it's just one flimsy piece of paper taped to the old announcement bulletin board up behind the front desk, they flock in numbers around it. Necks crane as women and men alike push forward to get even the slightest glimpse of the names typed neatly in fine print on that single piece of paper. Amongst the crowd, two young women push their way through the throng of people, excitedly heading towards the front to gain a proper view.

"Regina you made it!", one of the girls, a short bubbly blonde, squeals excitedly to the other. She gazes at her best friend, her eyes wide with delight.

"I know I see," her more serious brunette friend replies with a sigh as chocolate eyes scan the announcement board.

"Isn't this exciting?", the blonde exclaims, practically jiggling up and down on the spot as she hangs onto the brunette's arm. The pair makes their way back out of the crowd of people, pushing past and into the hallway, starting off in the opposite direction. "Oh my god Regina, I can't even imagine finally having the lead! That must feel so amazing!", the young blonde gushes as she walks beside her friend, her hand still tightly clasping her friend's wrist.

"Tink…" the brunette warns, narrowing her eyes.

"What? Aren't you happy? You should be. It's such a great accomplishment!", Tink responds with the shake of her head.

"Yes, but an accomplishment only my mother will take great pride in exploiting for her own benefit and personal status," Regina scoffs.

"Regina that's not the point. Forget about her for a moment and just look at this wonderful opportunity that lies ahead with this new experience."

"Again Tink, it's an experience that only means later nights at rehearsal, more call times, less free time, more stress, and more nagging by our relentless artistic director."

"Oh Regina, you are such a pessimist," Tink sighs, rolling her eyes, "And Gold isn't all that bad."

"Yes he is," Regina counters, "He made me run my solo so many times the other day I could hardly walk the next morning. I can't stand him picking on every single little detail."

"Well isn't that ballet?"

"Yes, but he makes fun of me too, don't forget. He's just so excessive with his non-constructive criticism."

"Like your mother?"

"Even worse."

Tink laughs. "Just be glad she doesn't call you 'dearie' all the time."

"I suppose," Regina responds, a slight smirk tilting up the corners of her mouth.

"And his ridiculous whiny little voice," Tink adds, suddenly making dramatic gestures with her hands and arms, imitating their director. "Perfection always comes with a price…dearie…," she mimics.

Regina laughs, shaking her head fondly at her best friend. Ever since they had joined the Royal Ballet Company in London, England, the two have been almost literally joined at the hip. It really is such a great surprise, as both are far from alike. Tink is outgoing, fun, and charismatic. Just by being around her, one can feel the energy of light and warmth that practically radiates out from her pores. Her optimistic, buoyant personality is one that constantly annoys and frustrates the hell out of her more doubting, uptight best friend. Unlike Tink, Regina had a rather rough start in life. Having grown up on the streets of Harlem, New York, she had known from a very young age what it means to stand up for herself. Under the constant watch of her mother, Regina had been brought into a life of strict discipline and work, all of which had been drilled into her from day one. As a result of this, on top of the harsh streets of her neighborhood, Regina had always been good at holding her own. She'd learn to play at life's precarious game, beating her way across a mountain of obstacles on her path to success. And even at the age of twenty-two, a principal dancer at a prestigious company, she still feels as if she has not won, not by a long shot.

"I still don't understand how Madam French puts up with him. He's a beast in his own sort of maniacal way," Regina sniffs.

"Perhaps it's because she's an incurable romantic," Tink replies, sighing dramatically before turning to gaze at Regina with a sudden lift of her brow.

"Stop looking at me like that," Regina scolds, swatting her friend's arm with another roll of her eyes.

"Regina, come on," Tink groans exasperatedly, "You haven't been with anyone in years!"

"I don't have time!"

"That's what you always say whenever I try to set you up with someone. God, you can be so uptight. Your mother ruined you."

Regina glares at her friend. "It's because it's true," she retorts in regards to Tink's first statement, "And now that I'm apparently the lead, that means even less time than I already have." Regina's lips suddenly quirk upwards into a smirk. "Ballet is my boyfriend," she mimics ridiculously in disdain, quoting a stupid ballet meme she found whilst surfing online somewhere.

Tink rolls her eyes. "But what about Graham? Didn't you two have a thing?"

"We kissed once."

"Oh?!", Tink exclaims as her eyes bulge. She halts, turning to gape at Regina, her jaw having dropped considerable heights. Instantly, the brunette realizes and regrets her mistake. "You never told me that!", Tink cries, her voice high pitched.

"That's because it's of little importance," Regina says matter-of-factly, shrugging off the subject.

"It most definitely is _not_."

"It most definitely is."

"No it is not of little importance. Oh my gosh Regina, are you two seeing each other?" The blonde's voice rises several decibels.

"No!" Regina scowls at Tink. "And there is no 'us two', contrary to what you might think."

"But you _kissed_ him, Regina! You can't just let that go!"

"It was weeks ago." It was three days ago.

"But still!", Tink protests, "Regina come on. You need to pursue him!"

"Tink, no. I am not having this conversation again with you. I'm doing just fine on my own. Really, I am."

"But don't you want to find a soulmate? Someone you're just destined to be with for the rest of your life?", Tink sighs dreamily, batting her eyelashes. "Perhaps someone to possibly be your Prince Charming, and have swear on his heart his deep devotion and passion to you?", she adds, referencing the next ballet they are to perform, the ballet in which Regina is to dance the lead.

"Um that 'Prince Charming' is actually named Siegfried. Do your research. And no, Tink." The brunette scrunches up her nose in disgust at such a sappy description of the idea of love. "Just, no."

"I'm serious, Regina."

"And I'm late for rehearsal, Tink," Regina suddenly says quickly as she takes a swift glance down at her imaginary watch, "I have to go." Regina brushes past her friend, beginning to walk briskly down the hallway, much to the annoyed groans of her best friend. In fact, the brunette's rehearsal doesn't even begin until ten thirty this morning. And it has just turned ten right now.

"Just think about it Regina!", Tink calls after her. Her shouting causes the other woman to flinch as she walks. "You really need to get out more!"

* * *

"All right, that's it for today," ballet mistress Belle French announces after the third run of _Swan Lake's_ opening scene. The usual clapping commences, signifying the end of class, as dancers move from the center of the studio to the sides, where they wipe themselves vigorously with towels of dripping sweat, guzzle down gallons of water, and gather their belongings. It has been a long three hours.

"Regina, may I speak with you?", Madam French's voice rings out amongst the chatter. Regina frowns, changing course from the direction of her dance bag back to where the mistress stands.

"Yes Madam French?", Regina asks whilst approaching the ballet mistress with a slight furrow of her brow.

"I admire your work today," French says with a gentle smile, "And I congratulate you on landing the role of Odette."

"Thank you," Regina replies with a proud smile, "I've always worked my hardest in finally achieving a lead role."

"You've earned it. You are indeed one of the most talented principal dancers here."

"Thank you," Regina repeats, keeping her smile.

"That having been said, there has been a change in the casting that needs to be addressed, one that only affects you."

Regina's smile turns down slightly. "Oh?"

"There has been a sudden change in casting for the lead male role, the role of Prince Siegfried."

"Isn't Killian cast to play that role?", Regina asks, recalling his name printed neatly as she had scanned the announcement board.

"He was," French replies, "However the directors and faculty hadn't realized that Killian had just injured his knee three days ago. He was to inform the board of his injury and send in a doctor's report, as per protocol, but never did."

"Well I'm not surprised," Regina mutters with a shake of her head.

Madam French chuckles softly as she cannot help but feel the same way despite her need to not speak unfavorably of any company member. "Well he was always the bit of a troublemaker," she whispers, leaning forward with a furtive glint in her eye.

"Tell me about it," Regina laughs softly.

"Anyway, I thought it would be nice that you hear it sooner rather than later that Graham will be cast in place of Killian," French says with a firm nod as she straightens herself.

Regina's eyes widen ever so slightly. "Graham?", she breathes, her heart skipping a beat.

"Yes. The boy has shown incredible progress and talent these past few months. It is time he move on to bigger roles," Madam French confirms before frowning, "Is that not all right?"

Regina shakes her head fervently. "No, no," she reassures, "It's just…I haven't danced with anyone else other than Killian or David."

"Well here's your chance to switch it up for a change, get yourself out of your comfort zone more. Graham is an exceptional dancer such as yourself. You two will get along just fine." Madam French smiles softly. "Now if you'll excuse me please, Regina."

Regina forces a smile and nods politely. "Get yourself out," she repeats in a huff as she watches the older woman brushes past her to converse with another company member, "Not her too."

* * *

"Are you certain you had nothing to do with this?", Regina growls, eyeing her friend suspiciously.

"Regina no!", Tink denies, "Of course not. You know I don't have that authority."

"Yes, but you are quite good at convincing…"

"Regina, I swear I didn't."

"Are you sure?"

"I promise," Tink says firmly before her features suddenly change and she gives Regina her all too familiar mushy expression. "But oh Regina-"

"Tink," Regina begins, shaking her head.

"But you can finally rekindle your love for each other!"

"It's not love."

"Yes it is!"

"No it is not!"

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes! For the love of God and everything good in this world, we are not in love!"

"Okay," Tink sighs, pursing her lips.

"Stop giving me that look," Regina commands, scowling.

"What look?"

"The look of an immature twelve year old whenever the idea of sex arises."

"Whoa, way to make things escalate," Tink says, raising her hands in defense.

"I'm serious," Regina replies, narrowing her eyes.

"That's the problem." The blonde grins.

"Stop it!", Regina says, choking down a laugh. Tink smirks mischievously. "Oh you are bad," the brunette adds.

"That's why you love me so much," Tink responds.

"Maybe too much."

"Oh stop it," the blonde says, rolling her eyes, "Come on. Lunch?"

* * *

The cafeteria as usual is packed with students and company members alike. Regina and Tink make their way around the throng of tables with their trays of food; a cob salad for Regina, and a bowl of chicken noodle soup for Tink. They head towards their normal seat in the corner of the immense dining area. Around them, dancers engage animatedly in conversations of all topics surrounding dance and the like. It's a pleasant and cheerful atmosphere, bright like the sun's rays that peek through the large windows that look out towards the large strip of green that surrounds the academy.

"So what do you think of Mr. Booth?", Tink asks curiously as they take their seats.

Regina frowns. "The new guy?" She shrugs. "I don't know. He's a bit strange for my taste. But it doesn't bother me."

"Yes. But he's always talking about some kind of higher plane of existence that we must reach whenever we dance. I just don't understand it. The way he explains the way we should portray our emotions and act is so whimsical and detached from this world. It doesn't even make sense to me."

"But that's what makes the best dancers, no? The ones who can detach themselves from reality and envelope themselves into another world, a world of their own creation."

"Is that what you do? Do you reach this higher plane of existence like this Booth guy says?"

Regina lifts her shoulders again. "Maybe. Dance has always been my escape. You know that."

"I do, but it's just that I don't think you'd take it so far as to what Mr. Booth describes," Tink scoffs.

"You don't know that," Regina responds, frowning, "I give all I have to escape from this world."

* * *

"Graham!", Regina exclaims as she bumps literally into her new dance partner on the way back to rehearsal. "I'm sorry I didn't see you there."

"It's all right," the young dirty blonde boy responds, his grey eyes wide. Regina meets his gaze shyly, tucking a stray strand of hair that has fallen from her impeccable bun behind her ear. "Fancy running into you," Graham continues with a gentle smile.

"Back at you," Regina says with a swift chuckle as she continues to walk quickly from him.

"It's nice to finally be able to work with you though, Regina," Graham calls after her as he jogs back up to her side.

"The same to you. Congratulations by the way," is the quick reply. To that Graham sighs before quickly maneuvering himself around the brunette to come in front and block her path. Regina frowns. "Look, I need to get to rehearsal. I'm late."

Graham smirks shyly, shaking his head at her. "You're never late, Regina. Please, can we just talk for a minute?"

"Talk about what?", Regina groans exasperatedly.

"About our kiss," comes the dreaded answer.

"It was just a kiss, Graham," Regina whispers, shaking her head.

"So?"

"So we kissed. People kiss all the time. That doesn't mean anything."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Graham not now," Regina persists, trying to step around him. But the man slides to the side, effectively blocking her once more.

"Then when? How long are you going to keep avoiding me?", he questions.

"Long enough so that I don't get into something I regret."

"What could you possibly regret from having a conversation with me?"

"You'd be surprised."

"Regina…"

Graham sighs, shifting from one foot to the other. There's a suspenseful silence between the two as Regina glares at the man opposite her, until he decides to speak again. "Look, I'm going clubbing tonight and it would be great if you could come along."

Regina squints at Graham, placing her hands on her hips. "I don't club."

"Just try it this once, Regina," Graham pleads, "I just want to get to know more about my dance partner other than some arbitrary kiss, as I suppose that's what you believe it is."

"Strange way of getting to know a dance partner I'd say," Regina remarks, rolling her eyes. But the man merely shrugs, offering a small smile. "It's unlike you to even go to a club, what the hell?", Regina adds, scoffing.

"Well Tink said-"

"You've been talking to Tink?!", Regina explodes, eyes widening as her mouth drops open.

"I ran into her earlier this morning. She said it would be a good idea," Graham mutters, shrugging.

"Let me guess, this is another one of her schemes to help me 'get out' more?", Regina sniffs. The man nods, shrugging again. "I feel as if I'm being ganged up on here."

"Regina…"

"I'm going to kill Tink."

"Regina!"

"Okay fine!", Regina yells, throwing her hands up in the air in defeat. "Okay fine, I'll go. Now if you'll excuse me I'm actually late for rehearsal now, thanks to you and my nutty friend," she huffs, earning a widening smile from her new dance partner.

* * *

"Oh Regina you look fabulous!", Tink gushes as Regina descends the stairs of her small flat, tucked away in the very heart of London. Regina shakes her head, smirking all the way. Wearing her six inch heeled pumps, she climbs down the stairs clad in a simple all black, form fitting cocktail dress with a plunging neckline. It reaches just above her knees, showing off her body's curves just perfectly. Her ebony hair is down for a change, wavy, and reaching just below her shoulders. Lips are stained a deep rouge, and makeup is dark yet classy.

"Just wait until Graham sees you!", her best friend coos, "One look and his mouth will practically water!"

Regina halts on the bottom step, raising a perfectly penciled eyebrow. "He better not," she retorts, "That is just gross."

Tink rolls her eyes. "Come on moody, lighten up. It's finally Friday night. We are going to have fun. Everything's going to be fine."

"In my dreams," Regina mutters.

"Seriously? What is your problem?", Tink groans frustratedly.

"My mother called. She's at it again."

"Well you can forget your mother for just these few hours."

Regina glares at her friend, opening her mouth as if to retort. But the young blonde shakes her head, holding up a finger to her friend's lips. "Regina," Tink states seriously, "You need this."

The brunette gazes back warily at her. She supposes that Tink is trying to help. And despite the fact that Regina can hardly keep up with such boundless energy and optimism, the spunky blonde does mean well. Perhaps this will be good for Regina. Perhaps this will do the brunette some good to loosen up even if it's at least for an hour or two. It's true. Regina is far too uptight. She even recognizes such a habit within herself, a dominating characteristic of her personality. And it is one that she blames solely on her mother. Regina sighs deeply. What could possibly happen anyway? What does she have to lose that she hasn't already? So it is with a deep sigh and a firm nod that she forces a smile.

"That's the spirit," Tink says, squeezing her friend's shoulder encouragingly, before the two head outside to the waiting uber.

* * *

The bar is packed, even more so since it is a typical Friday night. Regina meets Graham just outside. Smiling warmly, the man takes her into his arms in a hug. This takes the brunette aback slightly. Yet nevertheless, she accepts the hug gracefully, finally coming to realize that this is most likely how circumstances will be from now on. Does she mind it at all? She's still not so sure.

Once inside, the two immediately lose sight of Tink. The blonde has already disappeared mingling with a group of other girls from the company that just so happen to attend the same bar as well. So upon finding herself truly now, stuck with Graham, Regina finds nothing better to do but to follow the man as he heads to the bar to grab a couple of shots.

Throwing back the first one is hard for Regina, as she scrunches her nose, feeling the burning liquor run down the back of her throat, leaving behind a path of scorched, raw skin.

"You all right?", Graham shouts over the loud thumping of club music. Regina nods, lifting her hand towards the bartender and signaling for another shot. "Another?", Graham asks, rather surprised.

Regina shrugs. "Anything better planned?"

Graham laughs, shrugging as well. "Good point." Regina laughs along with him. She's here, right? Might as well.

After her third drink, the brunette finds that light buzz to be rather appealing as the alcohol soon begins to accumulate and take effect. Right now the woman is in her prime, as she finds herself far more relaxed than she'd ever felt before, and more able to enjoy the bouncing atmosphere of the bar. Beaming, she dances hotly up against Graham, much to his delight, in the middle of the dance floor. Sweating bodies press up against one another, hearts pound, ears ring, breaths heavy. Regina laughs freely, bobbing her head up and down as her hips sway back and forth to the heavy rhythm of the mix. Graham's hands lay steady on her hips as she dances in front of him, her rear gently swiping his growing erection.

Round four of liquor and Regina begins to slightly lose control. Being the lightweight, fragile dancer she is, she is quick to find that such alcohol does not agree well with her body. Her movements become messy and less calculated, her dancing more erratic and uncoordinated. The fifth shot passes her lips and she finds she has to lean against Graham to keep from falling flat on her face.

"Graham," she slurs, hanging onto his arm. Graham looks down at her, cupping her face in his hands.

"You're very drunk right now," he declares, shaking his head.

"Yeah that's right. Way to go, stating the obvious," she snickers, pursing her lips, "Ya shoulda known that when ya brought me here…"

Graham sighs, shaking his head. "I thought your uptightness would still get the best of you even still."

Regina laughs. "No, silly!", she scolds, wagging a finger at him.

"You really are drunk."

"Yep…"

He sighs, taking the wasted brunette into his arms. "Come on, let's take you home."

"No!", Regina pouts, moving from his grasp, "I wanna stay. Just one more dance, please?"

"Regina…"

"Noo! Where's Tink? I wanna to talk to Tink!"

"Tink is probably flirting with some guy."

Regina giggles. "Oh she would be."

"Yes. Now can we go? I'm starting to see that it was a mistake to bring you here."

"You're so confusing!", Regina huffs, crossing her arms clumsily. "First you want me here and now you don't."

"Yes I know, and I'm sorry."

"What if I said that I love you?", Regina giggles, a playful smirk gracing her lips. This halts Graham in his tracks.

"What?", he breathes.

"You heard me. I _love_ you," Regina drawls, pursing her lips at him.

"But you're too drunk to be thinking straight," Graham says, almost disappointedly.

"But don't we speak the truth when we're drunk?", Regina retorts, pushing out her lower lip. "Come on, if I say that I love you, which can be very true, you'll let me stay a little longer?"

"Well-you really are making no sense right now-that is what we're doing now right, staying a little longer chatting about something that unfortunately may not be true?"

"I suppose," the brunette snickers again, gazing up at him with her large brown eyes. Graham rolls his eyes and chuckles.

"All right," he says, pressing a quick kiss to her lips, "One last dance." He smiles down at her. And then, all of a sudden, everything in Regina's world goes black.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! I'd like to make a quick note in regards to my story. It is important that you all know that the dance company I use and reference to in this story is a real dance company; quite prestigious in the ballet world. That being said, I don't want to take anything away from them in regards with their rehearsal process and schedule, and other aspects of the like. I am just writing what I believe that should be true, having experienced hardcore ballet at least on a pre-professional level.**

 **More to come very, very shortly! Please stay tuned, and don't forget to review!**


	2. Who Are You?

**Chapter two, as quickly as promised! Please enjoy, everyone, and don't forget to leave a review!**

* * *

The rumbling sound of the nearby underground slices into the silence of her peaceful bliss. Regina groans, opening one eye first and then the other. The light is too bright, as it sears her sensitive pupils. Her head feels as if it weighs ten thousand tons, but she lifts it slowly nonetheless, moving to press her fingers to her temples. Vision is still hazy, yet she glances around the room with squinted eyes. Nothing seems familiar. It's not Tink's elaborately decorated pink room with fairy lights lining the windows and frilly ornaments hanging from the ceiling and walls. Frowning, Regina takes a harder look, squinting even more in her confusion. This room is rather plain. Drab white walls, grey curtains, just one bureau, and one full length mirror make up the most of what is in this accommodation. And there is a chair. Wait a minute. There's a man on that chair.

Regina's eyes widen as she sits up even more, fighting to regain her focus. "Graham?", she asks, staring at the still blurry figure whose eyes silently watch hers.

"Apologies milady," comes the answer in a voice that is definitely not Graham's. It is then that Regina's eyes bulge as she bolts up to sit, swiftly hugging the duvet close, and pressing her back against the headboard. Her knees are drawn up to her chest. All hazy images turn clear as day.

"Oh my God!", Regina screams, "Who the fuck are you?!"

"Wait, wait, it's okay," the man says, his voice gentle. Yet it does nothing to soothe the terrified brunette. He stands up, starting towards her tentatively, one hand extended towards her. "My name's Robin," he begins slowly.

"Where the hell am I?", Regina demands, ignoring the proffered hand.

"In my apartment."

"Why the fuck am I here?!", Regina cries, gazing up into soft blue eyes with none but a wild look of her own. "I don't even know you."

"I know that, I-"

"Oh my God," Regina repeats suddenly gasping again, not even listening to the man as she presses her palm to her lips upon the realization that she is in this strange man's bed, stark naked. "We—we didn't—did we?", she stutters, her voice barely audible.

"No, milady," the man says gently with a slight sigh in his breath. "No we didn't."

"How do I know I can trust you when you say that?"

"Well you shouldn't. I don't blame you."

Regina squeezes her eyes shut, pinching the bridge of her nose in attempts to soothe the oncoming migraine. "Then why am I here?", she questions lowly as she opens her eyes once more. "Why am I in your bed? Why am I _naked_?"

Robin sighs, shaking his head slowly. "It's a bit of a long story."

 _"Graham?", Regina calls out into messy mob of bodies of those wild and drunk. They jostle her from side to side as they bounce to the deafening beat of the music. Regina groans, pushing her way past people, squinting into the blur of colors that move simultaneously before her eyes._

 _"Graham! Where are you?", she yells again at the top of her lungs. But no one seems to pay attention or even hear._

 _In the distance, the brunette swears she can hear her name being called. But she is too far away to tell. Struggling to stay on her feet, Regina squeezes between the hot, sweaty bodies of the partygoers. She is far too distracted on the task of trying to locate Graham that she doesn't notice a dark haired man approach._

 _"Heya pretty lady," the man drawls, causing Regina to jump. She whips around right into the chest of this man. Gazing up at him, she frowns in her confused state._

 _"Who are you?", she asks. But the man shakes his head, chuckling lowly as suddenly he grabs her elbow, pulling her flush into his chest. "Hey let go!", Regina protests, attempting to shove him off her._

 _"Come on," the man says, "It's all cool. You're in good hands now."_

 _"What the-", Regina begins. But suddenly, her words become lodged within her throat the moment the man's lips are on hers. The brunette's eyes widen as he kisses her roughly, gripping the sides of her face with both his hands. With a grimace, Regina pulls away. But much to her misfortune, such a move earns her a harsh and stinging slap across the cheek. Regina yelps, her head abruptly twisting to the side as she puts a hand to her assaulted cheek._

 _"Hey!", a second voice calls out suddenly. In her swirling vision, the brunette can just make out the hazy outline of another figure pushing his way through the crowd of people towards the two. "Hey mate. Leave her alone," the man orders, his voice a great deal softer than the other man._

 _"None of your business," the dark haired man hisses, grabbing Regina's elbow once more, "This is between me and her."_

 _"I apologize but I'm afraid not," the second man replies._

 _"She's my girlfriend," the other states, jerking Regina closer to him. In her drunken state, she slams against his chest. She scrunches her nose as she inhales a nice whiff of alcohol and the strong stench of body odor._

 _"I think not. Let her go."_

 _"Who are you to tell me what to do?"_

 _"Someone who has more dignity and honor than you. Now leave, or else I'll call the police."_

 _"Fuck you," the dark haired man growls, shoving Regina towards the kinder man before storming off. Regina falls into the man's chest. And there she stays, leaning up against him until his strong arms wrap around her frame and set her back on her feet._

 _"Are you all right?", the man asks with a concerned frown._

 _"Yeah," Regina slurs, rubbing at her cheek, "Guess I got a little more…drunk than I thought I would."_

 _"Come on, let's get you somewhere safer," the man states, "Have you come here with someone?"_

 _"Uh yes."_

 _"Do you know who?"_

 _"His name is Graham. But I lost him a long, long time ago," Regina answers before finding her reply to be rather funny as she soon begins to chortle at the thought. The man merely stares at her quietly as she begins to giggle uncontrollably. "Yep he's lost," Regina laughs, so far gone. She closes her eyes and tilts her head back, chuckling all the way until it begins to die down and she lowers her chin. Upon gazing back into the man's wide blue eyes, all silliness leaves her as suddenly his image begins to spin. "Oh no," Regina begins, "I think I'm gonna-" And then suddenly, the lights go out._

"Wait a minute. So you took me to your house after I fainted?!", Regina exclaims, still in disbelief.

Robin shrugs. "I had no choice. I wasn't about to leave you there."

"But you took me into _your_ house."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Um, yes!", Regina declares, "Not only bad, but it's inappropriate!"

"What else would you want me to do?"

"Um, I don't know," Regina replies sarcastically, "Maybe, uh, try and find my friends, or oh! Take me to the hospital!"

"Milady, I had no information on your friends and I wasn't about to-"

"Will you stop calling me that?", Regina states, glaring at the man.

"Okay, well then what would you have me call you?", Robin asks patiently.

"What makes you think I'd give you my name?", Regina spits.

"Now you're being unreasonable-"

"Oh forgive me if I have been dragged out of my house to the one sketchy bar in this entire city only to get roaring drunk so that I literally almost become a target for rape, before finally finding myself having passed out and woken up naked in the bed of a complete stranger," Regina rambles.

She glares daggers at the man in front of her, crossing her arms in front of her bosom like a child. In her angst however, she can't help but survey this mysterious savior of hers. He's an average looking man, not bad at all in his slightly rugged appearance. A nice short mustache and beard cover the lower part of his face, but in a way that is not too overwhelming, a way that fits. The dirty blondness of his wavy locks compliment the bluest eyes Regina had ever seen. They are so warm and filled with a spirit, a light that is beyond Regina's understanding and so different from the calm, cool grey gaze that of Graham. Upon looking into these blue eyes, the brunette finds she can lose herself in their profound gaze and never return. Perhaps this man isn't that average-looking after all.

"Fair enough," Robin replies, tilting his head and causing a loose strand of hair to flop over onto his forehead. Regina gulps slowly, unable to keep up her tense demeanor for much longer. The man catches on and offers the slightest of smirks, the corner of his mouth quirking upwards ever so slightly to show off quite charming dimples. The brunette huffs, deflating slightly against the headboard of the bed.

"You never provided an explanation as to why I'm naked," she mutters after a brief silence.

"When I got home, I slipped you under the covers and left to look for some Advil to leave on the bedside for this morning," Robin answers, nodding towards the bottle before continuing. "I got back and I guess, in your drunken stupor, you must have taken your clothes off."

Regina nods slowly, taking it all in quietly. "Where did you sleep?", she asks.

"On the couch."

"Quite a gentleman you are."

"I try to be."

Regina snorts, a small smile tugging up the corners of her mouth. She lifts her shoulders in a large sigh and looks around, rubbing at an eye. "So what do I do now?", she wonders, turning back towards the man who watches her with quiet intrigue.

"You still haven't given me your name…milady," comes the response, accompanied by a wider smirk.

Regina rolls her eyes. "Regina," she relents, "Regina Mills, if you are so interested."

"Robin Locksley, pleasure to meet you," the man replies, extending a hand once more. Regina gazes down at the proffered hand as if it is something foreign. But slowly, she lifts her own and meets his in a firm handshake.

"Well I guess now if you may leave, I'd like to get dressed," Regina says, straightening herself back up whilst still keeping the duvet around her chest and torso to cover her modesty. And with that, the man nods respectively before heading out the door, closing it behind him to allow her some privacy.

* * *

"So what do you do?", Robin asks curiously as Regina wolfs down her bacon and eggs.

Regina shrugs, placing her fork back onto the plate. "I'm a dancer," she answers simply.

The man's eyes widen with piqued interest, eyebrows shooting upward. "Really?", he breathes as he takes a second look up and down her form. "Ballet?"

Regina laughs at such childlike curiosity and wonder, shaking her head amusingly. "Yes," she replies, "I'm a principal dancer at the Royal Ballet Company."

"Oh I have heard of them here and there. I see their billboards and posters around for various shows like _The Nutcracker_ or _Swan Lake_." The man frowns, gazing at the brunette's face once more. "Come to think of it, now I do believe I recognize you from one of the posters."

"Yes," Regina nods, "I was featured on a Nutcracker poster last year, just a little photoshoot they had asked me to do."

Robin shrugs. "Well you looked amazing."

Regina smiles, blushing slightly. "Why thank you."

"So this is just what you do for a living?" The brunette nods. "Forgive me for saying this, but isn't a dancer's life rather difficult? You know, with job insecurity and such," Robin comments.

"No you're right," Regina agrees, "It is difficult to find a job. Companies are often shedding dancers, not hiring them. It doesn't help either that dancers are paid by the performances they do. However I guess if you're good enough…"

A smile spreads on the man's face once more. "So you must be very good. Isn't a principal dancer a top position in a ballet company?"

"I suppose," Regina says, shrugging shyly.

"You must be one lucky woman."

Regina shakes her head, sighing softly. "Luck has nothing to do with it."

"I want to see you dance sometime," Robin says suddenly, "Or—well—that is if it is all right with you."

Regina grins. " _Swan Lake_ , this April. Tickets start this week. I am to dance the lead."

"Oh well then, there we go," Robin laughs, "I'll just have to be there." Regina laughs, shaking her head, gazing at him almost endearingly. It's hard for her not to get herself caught up in this aura of warmth that just seems to surround him in a soft circle of light. It's contagious, addicting even.

"All right then," Regina replies with a wink, "I'll see you at the Royal Opera House."

* * *

"Have everything you need? Will you be all right?"

Regina laughs softly, shaking her head as she again looks into the concerned blue eyes of the man in front of her. Behind her, the underground roars to life, signaling an oncoming train heading up to the station.

"I'll be all right," Regina replies with a smirk, "You take care of yourself."

Robin chuckles. "And you as well."

"Thank you for everything," Regina adds genuinely, her smile gentle.

"It was the honorable thing to do."

"Really, is that all?"

Robin laughs. So it is with a nod that Regina starts off towards the metro that had just pulled up to the station. But suddenly she halts as his voice calls out to her once more. "Will I see you again, milady?", he asks, gazing at her expectantly. A small smirk forms on the lips of the brunette as she turns her head to look back at him over her shoulder. "Perhaps," comes the cryptic answer before she steps through the doors of the train, just as they begin to close.

* * *

Regina comes home to find Tink almost in hysterics. "Regina!", the blonde screeches as she drops her cellphone before running to throw herself onto the brunette in a life-sucking hug. "Oh my god! Where have you been?!"

"I um-"

"I thought you got kidnapped, what the fuck happened?!"

"Tink, calm down…"

"No I can't calm down! When I heard that you were missing—that Graham couldn't find you—god Regina you got me so worried!", Tink exclaims, pulling back from the brunette to look her up and down.

"Well I'm fine. Why else would I be standing here right now?"

"What happened?"

"That was what I was going to tell you until you interrupted me, twice," Regina explains slowly, narrowing her eyes at her friend. Tink sighs, stepping backwards. "Anyway," Regina says, taking a deep breath, "I got separated from Graham on the dance floor and apparently passed out. This man, I guess, found me and took me to his house-"

"Oh my god he didn't, did he?"

"No! Tink no! He was just so hospitable and warm and…," Regina states, inadvertently smiling at the thought of Robin. Tink narrows her eyes at her friend, reading hard into the brunette's expression, before her face completely changes into a ginormous smile.

"No way!", she breathes, putting her fingers to her pink lips, " _No way_!"

"What?", Regina asks, suddenly frowning.

"Your face!"

"What about my face?"

"You _like_ this man!"

"What? No!", Regina exclaims, taking a step backward, "Why would I like him?"

"It's written all over your face, Regina. I think you're crushing!"

"No I'm not, for god's sake Tink!", Regina protests, "Please don't start again. I'm far too tired for this now."

"What's his name?", the blonde persists.

Regina rolls her eyes, sighing deeply. "Robin," she relents after a short silence of just staring, "Robin Locksley if you are so interested."

"Robin," Tink repeats, tilting her head, "You sure don't meet many Robins."

"Yeah well it doesn't matter anymore," Regina mutters.

"What? Why not?"

"Because I'm not going to see him again."

"What? Why?", Tink whines.

"Because he's off doing his own thing, and I'm doing my thing. It's not going to work."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I do. Remember? I have no time for a relationship right now."

"Regina, you never have time," Tink sighs, taking her friend's hand, "Look at all these men throwing themselves at you. If you just open yourself to the possibility of love-"

"Tink," Regina counters, "Just because this man decided to take me in for the night doesn't mean that he's throwing himself at me. He's probably not even interested. He was just being nice." She heaves a long sigh. "Don't even try to persuade me about the possibility of love," she adds, "I lost that a long time ago. You know that."

"But that doesn't mean that you can't find it again."

Regina shakes her head slowly. "I don't know," she murmurs in defeat.

"Think about it," Tink advises, giving her friend's hand a squeeze, "Really think about it."

* * *

It's a hard Monday morning after a weekend of recovering from an extreme hangover. And as hard as Regina tries, she cannot take her mind off the thought of the possibility of love, and most importantly, the thought of Robin. It seems as if every waking moment now, the brunette finds herself daydreaming idly about deep blue eyes accompanied by a soft voice. It comes to the point where it is rather frustrating as she finds herself not being able to focus on remembering the choreography set in front of her. No matter what she does, she can't seem to get her brain to cooperate. And it's exhausting.

"Regina, what has gotten into you?", Mr. Booth asks, frowning as he signals the piano player to halt the music. "You're in the clouds today."

"Sorry," Regina says with a shake of her head as she quickly squeezes her eyes shut and opens them again. "I'm okay. Let's go again."

"You know when I told you to lose yourself in the character, I didn't mean to lose yourself to the extent of what you are doing," Booth admonishes, "Odette is a fragile character, so vulnerable. You need to portray her as such, as a woman lost and in despair, without love and without hope-" Regina almost snorts at the irony. This should be a piece of cake for her. "-But you can't do that if you've gotten your head stuck in the clouds. Dig deep inside you and pull out that one thing you yearn for the most. And use it as a way to profoundly connect with the character and drive your movement. Let's go again."

Regina sighs as the music starts again. Forcing the thought of Robin back into the very depths of her mind, she searches instead the very depths of her heart; digging deep into her past to pull out that one thing that she can use to relate to the character she must portray.

"Yes Regina! That's it!", Booth encourages as the brunette begins to glide once more across the studio, performing her variation now effortlessly.

"Yes, where was that at the beginning?", Booth asks as Regina's solo ends, "You have it in you. You just need to work harder at digging it out." Regina nods, breathing heavily. "Very good. Thank you for today," Booth concludes.

"Thank you," Regina manages before heading to the side to collect her things.

* * *

It's raining outside when she leaves the studio on break, heading towards a small cafe this time in which to spend her lunch. Rushing inside, the brunette shivers slightly as droplets of water collect on the floor from her rain jacket. Upon gazing up at the menu, lit up over the front countertop, Regina makes her way over to the line of people who stand ready to order. But it is a sudden voice amongst all others that calls out of nowhere, which turns her head.

"Regina!", he says, "Fancy seeing you here."

* * *

 **Enter OutlawQueen, as promised! Stay tuned for more! Thank you again for reading!**


	3. Odette

**Here we are! A very long chapter three with a side of angst. Here, we delve a little deeper into Regina's fears. How will she handle this double attention from both men? As always, please enjoy and leave a comment!**

* * *

"Robin!", Regina exclaims, her eyes widening as she catches a glimpse of the one man about whom she couldn't resist thinking ever since that moment the two parted in the underground. "What are you doing here?", she asks as her jaw falls in surprise.

"I could ask you the same thing," Robin replies, grinning. Regina chuckles, moving out of the line towards where the man sits by the window, at a table set for two.

"I'm on break," the brunette answers, still not believing she is able to see this man again. Really, she had thought that their short time in underground was the last.

"Well perfect timing then."

"Really? Why?"

"Well, I am here. You are here. Shall I get you a coffee?"

Regina squints at Robin. "Excuse me?"

"Just what I said," the man repeats, "Shall I get you a coffee?"

"Wait, wait. Are you-?"

"Yes I am," Robin says, still grinning widely, "Come sit down. I'll grab you a drink."

Regina narrows her eyes at him, shaking her head as a small incredulous smirk creeps across her lips. She watches silently as the dirty blonde stands, making his way around the table to pull out the chair opposite him. "Please," he beckons, gesturing towards the empty seat with a cheeky smile.

The brunette snorts softly, her smirk widening as she takes the seat. "Just don't order me a coffee," she states, "I like tea. Earl Grey."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Robin responds with a slight bow, "One Earl Grey coming up then."

Regina shakes her head, sighing softly in slight amusement as she stares after his turned back as he makes his way up to the counter. What is it about him that's just so…lovable? What is it about him that makes her stop in her tracks? It's an all too unfamiliar feeling of her heart, a fluttering like a bird in its cage, something she herself hasn't experienced in so long. And she's not so sure if she wants to experience it again. She's not so sure if she is ready. Her heart is still on the mend, even after all this time.

"One Earl Grey for milady," his voice announces, effectively interrupting her thoughts. Regina swallows, pushing her thoughts and emotions back down into the depths of her heart, before gazing back up at soft blue eyes.

"You really need to stop calling me that," Regina says with a slight chuckle, "It's so…old-fashioned."

"Is it?"

"Yes. No one says that anymore."

"If you say so…"

"It's true," Regina laughs, "Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?", Robin asks.

"Like you're pouting."

"I don't pout."

"Yes you do."

Regina stares Robin dead in the eyes, gazing at him quietly as she sizes him up and down.

Robin rolls his eyes. "Your tea is getting cold," he states after a few moments of silence.

"Your point?", Regina asks, taking the cup in her hand, but not sipping at the now tepid liquid.

"My point being that I fetched it nice and hot for you."

"And what? I'm wasting it?"

"I wasn't about to be so blunt, but yes."

Regina rolls her eyes. "I'm starting to get the sense that you are very annoying, you know that?"

"And I'm starting to get the sense that you're very stubborn," Robin retorts, sitting back in his chair with a smug look proud across his face. Regina snorts, shaking her head in slight playful irritation as she sips at her tea.

"Good?", Robin asks, quietly observing her.

"Mm," Regina replies with an approving nod, "I always come here because they serve good tea."

The man raises a brow, another small smirk creeping onto his lips. "Really? Well that's good to know."

The brunette lifts her head, frowning ever so slightly. "What? What do you mean? Or—well—I guess what I mean is, why does that matter to you?", Regina questions, shortening her breath.

"Well, I was hoping I'd be able to see you again, and then possibly again after this. And here you are, and hopefully will be...the same place next time."

Regina sighs, shaking her head incredulously. "Surely you must have something better to do than to waste your time with this foolish endeavor of chasing me around, it seems." Robin's shoulders lift. "What do you do anyway?", Regina asks.

"I keep busy," Robin answers with another added nonchalant shrug.

Regina's brows lift. "Really? That's it?"

"I'm afraid that's the extent of it. My life is rather boring," Robin says with a short laugh. The brunette opposite him tilts her head from side to side, reading into his unreadable expression. Surely this man doesn't seem like the type who would keep secrets. Normally, it is Regina herself who is the one who can harbor enough of those for the both of them.

"You don't strike me as one so cryptic," the woman states, crossing her arms.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean just that. You're being secretive."

Robin shrugs, sighing softly. "We all have secrets, Regina-"

"So you are keeping something from me."

"No I-"

"What is it?", Regina persists, her curiosity trumping her need for being polite with this gentleman she hardly knows, yet strangely about whom she wants to know more.

"It's—well I'm in a bit of a rough spot right now. It's hard to juggle things with my son and-"

Regina's eyes widen dramatically as she leans forward, uncrossing her legs under the table. Suddenly all concern about this alleged secret drops at this new information. "You have a son?"

"Yes I do," Robin replies, a smile spreading across his face as his features turn alight suddenly at the mentioning of his son. "Roland. You would have gotten the chance to meet him, but he was staying with my friend Will that night I brought you in."

"How old?"

"Four years later this month."

For some odd reason, the brunette has to somewhat force a smile to her lips just out of courtesy to the man opposite her. However deep down, she feels a pit slowly beginning to form within the depths of her stomach, weighing her down slowly, dropping her demeanor little by little. If this man has a son, then what of the mother? Disappointment weighs down upon her shoulders, taking Regina wildly by surprise, surprised at how…awful…she feels about this when she really, honestly, shouldn't.

"He's young," Regina murmurs, still able to lock her gaze within the blue of Robin's.

The man nods. "Adorable as ever, I think. But as any four year old is, he's quite the handful at times."

"I can imagine," Regina says with a slight chuckle. She gazes at Robin gently, surveying his soft, warm demeanor, the brightness of his gaze. "I can also imagine you must make a brilliant father," she adds, smiling genuinely, "I'm sure Roland is a very lucky boy."

Robin's smile is small as Regina watches him tilt his head shyly and gaze down at his coffee and back up towards her. "I try my best," is the humble response.

"I'm sure you do," Regina says before looking at the time. "Oh I have to go, I'm sorry," she announces, suddenly standing abruptly and grabbing what's left of her tea. "I have rehearsal in fifteen minutes."

"Oh, well then you'd better get going," Robin replies, standing with Regina. "At least it has stopped raining," he observes upon glancing out the window at now just dull grey skies, "You'll certainly get to class dry."

"That is a relief," Regina states, pulling her coat on before slinging her backpack over her shoulders. She and Robin head towards the exit and walk outside. There, they stand face to face, silently staring each other up and down for a few seconds. For some peculiar reason, neither of them finds themselves willing to step up and bid the first goodbye.

"I'll see you around," Regina says, breaking the silence as she glances at the time once again.

"Really?", Robin asks, his face alight once more in the way that Regina is beginning to find especially cute and endearing.

"Yes," she replies before winking and turning to walk down the street; hips swinging ever so slightly.

* * *

Ever since she had gotten home from Robin's, that morning after the bar incident, Regina has dreaded this next rehearsal. After having not received even a text from Graham, she doesn't know what to assume. So many mixed messages have been sent back and forth between the two before. And the brunette has truthfully quite enjoyed their little game of cat and mouse. However this time, this whole scenario tickled her the wrong way. Not to mention that on top of this, as an added measure, the pair must dance with each other and only with each other in this pas de deux rehearsal, as if nothing had happened. The woman groans inwardly at the thought.

As usual, she is the first to arrive in the studio. Upon her arrival, Regina already has herself set upon warming up alone to the best of her ability as per usual. However just as she finishes tying her pointe shoes to start her warm-up, Graham walks in, earlier than usual.

"Regina," he greets rather formally before sitting beside her to take out his own pair of ballet shoes. It's silent as the brunette quietly watches him put on a pair of leg warmers along with his shoes, and tucks his plain white shirt into the waistband of his black tights. It's a silence that screams in a desperate cry until Regina can't stand it any longer.

"Look," she says, turning more towards her partner, "Can we just talk about-"

"I'm sorry Regina," Graham interrupts, abruptly blurting out his apology, "I should have kept a better eye on you at the bar and-"

"That doesn't even matter anymore. What matters now is the fact that I've heard nothing from you, since the time I lost you on the dance floor until now."

Graham sighs, "I know, I'm sorry—I—I just felt so bad about it and…"

"Quite a mature way to handle it, Graham," Regina snaps, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I know, I feel awful about it. I really do."

"You should."

"I know."

"You're a dick sometimes, Graham, you know that right?"

"Trust me, I am well aware," Graham replies shamefully. Regina rolls her eyes. But before she can open her mouth to further speak, ballet master Cassidy walks into the room. With a sigh, and a look that tells the other that this conversation is indeed not finished, Regina stands from her current stretching position and heads towards the center of the room.

The rehearsal begins, starting out as normal as possible. The two run through their pas de deux piece perfectly and with little corrections before they are to run it a second time. The scene in which this certain duet is done occurs during the first act of _Swan Lake;_ a scene where Odette first meets Prince Siegfried. It portrays the two as they slowly begin to fall deeply in love with one another; dancing in front of the lake's shimmering waters, the moon illuminating their movements.

Technically speaking, the scene is a no-brainer for Regina to perform. However it is the emotion with which the brunette always struggles. And coming from a rather less than desirable past experience with such emotions that which a scene like this requires, it hurts for Regina to have to dig up some of those buried feelings in order to connect the emotions to the movement, and fall into and become one with the character she is to portray. Also in a way, for it to work completely, she finds that she must also think of Graham as well; all of his good traits, what makes him someone worthy of love and compassion. So as the duet progresses, the two moving in space with synchronized breath and step, Regina takes time to gaze into her partner's eyes; really gaze into those profound grey eyes that capture hers every single time without fail. Graham is not a bad man. Like any other human, he sure has his flaws. However there are some good traits to him too. When he wishes, his heart is large, and is filled to the brim with a wealth of potential to love. His care and generosity do know no bounds, which is in part why he had irked Regina so much when she found she hadn't heard from him after that episode. But as dance has a tendency to wash away and alleviate any stress or tension, Regina soon finds herself more and more able to forgive and let go of this one time slip up, as a result.

"Don't forget," Mr. Cassidy calls out as the pair float across the studio, "You are both longing for love, finding yourselves desperate for one another, and willing to pledge to each other a lifetime of passion and loyalty."

Regina looks into Graham's eyes, her face portraying such a deep sense of emotion and passion that it seems quite believable, almost real. The look of longing she has pulled from the very depths of her shines upon her face, and through the face of Odette. When the duet ends, both dancers look to the ballet master for more notes. And after having gone over a few more corrections involving the technicality of the movements, the two are dismissed from rehearsal, exactly an hour and a half later.

"You danced beautiful today," Graham says gently as the two pack their belongings alongside one another.

Regina turns her head and smiles gently at him. "Thank you," she whispers.

"I…almost thought it was believable," the man continues with a slight blush on his cheeks.

Regina swallows hard however, biting her lower lip with uncertainty. "That's what I was going for," she replies slowly.

Graham shakes his head, slinging his bag over his shoulder as Regina does the same, before turning towards her, staring her dead in the eyes. "Can I just ask you something?", he asks nervously, seeming rather desperate to get something off his chest.

Regina shrugs, holding his gaze with matched intensity. "What is it Graham?", she replies softly.

"About what you said that night we were at the bar, what you said about loving me. Was that really true?"

Regina's demeanor slips instantly as she lets out a long sigh, gazing at her dance partner with eyes that suddenly glisten and shine under the light of the studio. It's silent as she stares intensely at the man with whom she'd so enjoyed playing such games because she had thought there was always something more to it. However, the reality is that ever since the one time Robin Locksley has taken her into his house, those previous thoughts and emotions in regards to Graham suddenly have become less powerful, less at the forefront of her mind. Of course this isn't to say that the brunette no longer cares for her dance partner like she used to. She does still. It's just…complicated.

"I don't know," Regina murmurs, her voice barely a whisper. She witnesses Graham's face fall ever so slightly in something more than disappointment. "I'm sorry," she whispers before brushing past him, shaking her head in dismay at herself for falling into this trap, for letting herself get caught in the middle of all of these emotions that she most certainly can live without.

* * *

It has been a long Monday. Upon arriving back at her apartment, Regina is so very thankful that Tink is still out of the house. It allows her hopefully at least another hour of peace and quiet before the interrogations begin. Kicking off her heels, the brunette lets out a long, lingering sigh as she plops herself down onto the couch with a book in hand. After turning on mindless television in the background to use as white noise, she thereafter buries her nose in _Jane Eyre_ , a British classic that which the brunette has read about a hundred times over. However yet, she manages to still find herself captivated by the young orphan, whose life has literally been hell on earth. Strangely, the story of Jane Eyre resonates deeply within Regina, as the brunette can easily point out parallels between her own life and that of which the pages describe. Not to mention, it is indeed another great way to escape. Her love for reading, in fact, was just about the only aspect of Regina in which her mother prided herself in nurturing.

"So how did it go?", Tink asks, suddenly barging her way into the small flat exactly an hour later, the closing of the front door making the brunette jump.

"It was fine," Regina replies curtly, continuing to stare at the book, however no longer reading.

"Just fine?", the blonde presses as she sets her bag down on the kitchen counter, "I highly doubt that."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well there has to be _something_ more to than 'just fine'."

Regina sighs, looking up from her book towards the direction of her friend. "I saw him again today," she confesses, placing _Jane Eyre_ to the side.

"Saw who?", Tink asks, eyes widening abruptly, "That guy who took you in? Robin?"

"Yes. He just turned up at the coffee shop I was in." Regina shrugs.

"Wow," Tink marvels, "Well what do you know? Do you think he's actively looking for you?"

"I don't perceive him to be that much of a stalker."

"Then it must be fate. Destiny!", the blonde exclaims, a ridiculous grin spreading across her face.

"Good grief," Regina groans, shifting her position to flop over onto one of the large plush velvety pillows on the couch.

"You two are so going to-"

"Wait. All this enthusiasm about Robin. What happened to your excitement about Graham?" Regina lifts her head, narrowing her eyes at her friend.

"Look, I'm going to be excited about any guy that comes into your life, and at any signs of development of a relationship no matter what it is. It's about time…"

"I appreciate your enthusiasm but I don't really have my sights set on anything, or anyone for that matter."

"Sure you do," Tink says, tilting her head, "Your expression and appearance says it all."

Regina frowns. "What do you mean?"

"Well your cheeks are growing flushed just talking about it, and you're picking at your nails-" Regina glances down at her intertwined fingers, slowly pulling them apart before lifting a hand to her cheek, feeling it heat right beneath her fingertips. "-You've got it bad, don't you?"

"What?"

"The love bug."

"No I-"

"You're a mess. I've never seen you like this before."

"Tink, stop," Regina says abruptly, feeling her heart begin to race, as an all too familiar coldness begins to build up inside of her chest. The coldness of fear.

Tink sighs softly, moving towards the openly distraught brunette, now perched on the edge of the couch. "Hey," she says gently, taking her best friend's hand as she sits next to her, "It's okay. It's all right to feel like this."

"Like this," Regina repeats, "Like what? Terrified and confused?" And some other unnamed emotion.

"What are you confused about?"

"Apparently in my drunkenness, I told Graham that I loved him," Regina sighs, gazing downward at her hands, "And when he asked about it today, asked whether what I said was true, I said I didn't know."

"And why is that bothering you? You said it yourself that you never liked him anyway, even though I think you probably did."

"It's complicated. You know how I am with these emotions. I suppose I have maybe felt some kind of affection for Graham. But I was always unafraid to tell him what I thought whether that was for him to back off or not. It was always part of the game. However now, with Robin suddenly appearing unexpectedly in my life, just telling Graham that I don't really, truly love him frightens me."

"Why does it frighten you?"

Regina snorts softly, shaking her head. Oh how great a therapist her best friend is. "It frightens me because not only have I made Graham feel bad—well the primary reason is that when Graham asked me that question, my first thought went to…another man."

"Robin," Tink whispers.

"Yes."

"You like him."

"I barely know him, Tink."

"But that doesn't mean you can't have an attraction to him."

"I don't like that attraction! I don't want it!", Regina cries, putting her head in her hands. "Why does everything have to be so complicated?"

Tink sighs. "It's not. It's quite simple actually. You're afraid of love, Regina. That's what it comes down to. And because you're afraid of it, you don't want to admit how you feel about Robin. And because you are afraid of admitting how you feel about Robin, you are afraid of telling Graham that you don't love him because of that fear of emotions you have for the other man."

"That's still complicated."

Tink chuckles softly, gently patting the brunette's back. "Try to open your heart more, Regina," the blonde coaxes, "It's been far too long."

* * *

"Thought I'd might find you here again, Regina," Robin says, smiling widely as the familiar brunette makes her way into the coffee shop for the second time this week. Regina smiles genuinely at him, gazing into his adoring, dimpled features.

"Happy Tuesday," she greets, taking her seat opposite the dirty blonde as he heads back up to the counter to order her regular Earl Grey tea.

"So how have you been, Regina?", Robin asks, taking his seat after setting her cup of tea down in front of her, along with a small breakfast sandwich.

"Busy as usual," Regina replies nonchalantly, "Stressful."

"Rehearsals?"

"Yup."

"But they are fun, aren't they?"

"No, I mean yes, they definitely are. It's just hard work trying to grasp the mindset of the character I'm trying to portray whilst simultaneously trying to execute the movements correctly. It's draining both physically and emotionally."

"I see," Robin replies with a nod, "Well I'm sure you have no problem with the steps. Just from looking at the posters, I'd say you are pretty flawless in your dancing." Regina blushes slightly, gazing down into her cup. "So I guess it must be the emotional aspect that's gotten you tied up?"

Regina chuckles. "Quite perceptive aren't you?"

"Well you just seem like the woman who'd bottle her emotions inside, at least from this view."

"I suppose. Is that a bad thing?"

"No, not at all. Or…well it can be if it just keeps piling up."

"Then what would happen? I'd burst?"

"Something like that," Robin answers with a small smirk, "And we wouldn't want that now would we?"

Regina shakes her head, unable to hold back the smile that forms on her lips. "You are just like my best friend Tink."

"Really? She tells you the exact same thing? To let go?"

"Yes, always," Regina replies, smiling endearingly at him.

Robin chuckles. "So what is this ballet about?", he asks, "This _Swan Lake_. I've heard of it before, but never really knew the story."

Regina sighs, taking a sip of her tea and a bite of her sandwich. "It's about a princess named Odette who is captured by this evil sorcerer by the name of Von Rothbart. He curses her and her followers into becoming swans by day, and only allowing them to turn into their human form by night, at the side of an enchanted lake created by their tears. One night, she meets a prince named Siegfried whilst the man is out hunting. The two begin to fall in love. Set upon trying to break the spell, Siegfried learns that should he swear upon his heart his true love, loyalty, and devotion to the Swan Queen Odette, the curse would be broken. But before he can swear it, Rothbart appears, and as the day approaches, the Odette along with the other women are forced to turn back into swans.

The next night, Siegfriend finds himself at a royal ball which has been held for him in order to choose his bride, at his mother's request. After viewing the dances of other princesses, the prince tells his mother that his heart does not belong to any of them, that is, until Von Rothbart arrives with an Odette look-alike in tow. Odile. Falling in love once again, Siegfried dances with Odile whilst the real Odette desperately tries to get his attention from the windows above. When their dance concludes, and at Rothbart's command, Siegfried swears upon his heart his devotion to Odile, believing that she is his Odette. Distraught, Odette resigns herself to death by the lakeside until Siegfried arrives in a rush, begging for her forgiveness of his mistake. However the damage was done, and although Odette does truly forgive him, having loved the man so deeply, she cannot escape the curse, as she is now to be transformed into a swan forever."

"What happens next?", Robin asks gently, watching the various emotions that flit across the brunette's face as she recounts the story of her character.

Regina shakes her head hopelessly. "After realizing that they are never to be together, Odette jumps into the lake and drowns, followed by Siegfried who refuses to be parted from her evermore. The two are reunited in heaven."

The man's face falls. "A rather unhappy ending," he breathes, gazing into the emotion-filled eyes of the brunette opposite him.

"Indeed."

"This story really seems to resonate with you," Robin observes curiously.

Regina shrugs. "I'm supposed to portray Odette as someone who is in despair, deprived of happiness and hope, a normal woman just longing to be free, longing for a love to set her free." She refuses to make eye contact with the man, breaking their gaze to stare into her cup. She heaves a long sigh, closing her eyes tightly before opening them again. "Odette and I are much alike, perhaps even too alike."

"I see…," Robin murmurs. The brunette peeks up at him, watching him regard her with the utmost care and attention.

"I'm sorry," Regina says, shaking her head suddenly as she remembers herself, "I shouldn't be—I mean—I don't mean to make myself seem so desperate…It's just-"

"-That it's a very humble and human way to feel," Robin finishes gently, reaching across to lay his hand atop hers in a way that takes her aback. Regina's eyes widen as she gazes down at his hand resting on hers, transmitting warmth from his palm to her. "It's all right to feel like that. It's normal."

"Not for me it isn't," Regina says with a sigh.

"Regina, we are all uncertain of ourselves. We all, at one point, feel trapped within our very own selves, our lives, desperate to get out and be free. And we all want love…"

Regina's head lifts as she meets those shining blue eyes once more. And her heart begins to melt. She feels as if she is to burst into tears in any second and pour everything in her whole heart and soul right here on the table in front of him. But she restrains herself, as she is so used to doing, merely nodding mutely.

"Maybe I can help," Robin says gently after a moment of silence passes. "I want to help." He takes a deep breath. "Regina, I can already tell. I can already sense that you build this wall, this facade that covers how you truly feel. You put on this mask that which I'm absolutely positive you perform flawlessly wearing onstage. But when the curtain falls, I want to know you, the real you, Regina. I want to know you without the makeup, without the bun, and the pointe shoes and the tutu. I want to know what's in your heart, your mind, your soul so that I can help you out of this apparent place of darkness. And I am willing to wait as long as it takes."

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! *spot my roll credits at the end ;)***

 **More to come! Please stay tuned and don't forget to review! I'd love to hear what you all think! Forgive me of any mistakes as I'm currently working without a beta ;)**


	4. Robin

**Chapter four! When things start unraveling... Please enjoy, and leave a review. I love all of your responses!**

* * *

Regina stares agape at this man's mini speech. She shakes her head incredulously, that all too familiar fear building up within the depths of her chest. "No," she whispers, "No. No, no, no you can't. We just met a few days ago. This is insane!"

"Regina," Robin says calmly, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Well congratulations, you did," Regina bites, quickly standing. She grabs her bag and slings it over her shoulder.

"Regina, wait," Robin says, standing with her. Regina merely shakes her head, starting towards the exit of the coffee shop. "Please don't run," the man pleads from behind her. The two make it out of the shop, moving swiftly down the street towards the direction of the studios.

"Stop following me," Regina commands bitterly.

"Do you really think I'd let you off this unhappy?"

"You should. It's my life. Why do you care anyway?"

"I care because I understand. I can relate."

Regina halts, swiveling on her heel to face him. "And how exactly do you understand how I feel?", she hisses.

"Because when I lost my wife,-" All of a sudden her demeanor slips, Regina's eyes widening, her breath catching. "-I was left in that same darkness, that same struggle, as you are in right now; cold, hurt, closed off to everything and everyone around me. I know that I've only known you for four days, and your situation may not be the same, but we are much alike."

"Possibly even more so than you think," Regina mumbles, gazing at him with eyes shining with held tears before looking downward.

Robin frowns, tentatively reaching towards her to lift her chin with a gentle touch of his forefinger. A small tear rolls down Regina's cheek as her body trembles in front of him. The coldness of fear lances through her heart. And it is in this moment that she, knowingly or not, reveals to the man, wordlessly, that she truly is a broken woman. "What happened?", Robin asks gently, moving to swipe his thumb to and fro over the apple of her cheek.

Regina closes her eyes, causing more tears to trickle down onto pale cheeks. She shakes her head continuously, refusing to tell.

"Okay," Robin whispers, letting go of her. If she hadn't known any better, she'd say the look he gives her is forlorn, one of dejection. But she can't bring herself to think in that way right now. "I won't force you," he adds, "But just know that should you need anything, I'm always here."

With a soft sigh, he shoves his hand into the pocket of his trousers, pulling out a pen and a small piece of crinkled paper. After scribbling fiercely onto that little piece of parchment, he presses it into the palm of Regina's hand. He smiles gently at her, lifting his hand one last time to grasp hers in a tight, reassuring squeeze. "You don't have to use it. In fact, I don't expect you to. Just know that I'm always there if you need me. But for now, I'll let you go," he says softly before backing up and turning around, heading in the opposite direction down the street.

Regina gazes silent and speechless at the man's back as he disappears, melting into the bustling mob of passerby on the street. After a few moments of standing quietly in the middle of the sidewalk she sighs deeply, wipes her cheek, and turns back to head down the other direction towards the studios.

* * *

"Regina, you look awful today."

"Why thank you, Tink," Regina snaps, rolling her eyes, as the two make their way back towards their apartment that very same evening.

"I'm sorry, but you do. You could hardly pay attention in any of these rehearsals today. The instructors are whispering. Seriously, what is up with you? All day, you looked as if you've been crying."

"Tink, please, I'm not in the mood for your interrogations," Regina says, scowling at her friend.

"I don't even know why I bother."

"Well you shouldn't then! Leave me alone."

Tink sighs deeply. "Okay fine," she huffs, "If that's how you want to be. But don't come to me when you're sick and depressed, and unable to focus to the point that you ultimately lose your one chance to finally dance this lead part."

"Tink, come on," Regina relents slightly, after witnessing the blonde's deflated, beyond irritated look, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Regina! This is not about me. It's about you. I'm trying to help you. And I can't do that if you are constantly trying to push me away should a topic like this arise."

"All right, all right!", Regina yells, throwing her hands in the air. "Fine! I pushed Robin away. Is that what you want to hear? I pushed _him_ away." She sighs, gazing down at the ground. "So much for your help…," she murmurs miserably.

Tink halts walking and stares at Regina, mouth gaping in such a dismayed expression. "What?", she breathes, "How could you?!"

"What do you mean, how could I?", Regina hisses, "It's my decision. It's my life. Ever since this man has come into my life, I've felt nothing but worse and worse. It's over."

"It's over because you don't believe in it, Regina," Tink retorts, "It's over because you won't even give it a chance to work."

"Tink…"

"Just take my advice for once, Regina," Tink states firmly, "Take him back."

"You make it sound like we were together. We weren't even together."

"That's what you think. What do you believe he thinks?"

Regina sags her shoulders. "I don't know."

"How do you think he sees you?"

Regina shrugs, her heart constricting from having to bring up such a painful and hopelessly fresh memory. "He sees me as someone he understands."

"Someone he relates to," Tink coaxes.

"Yes," Regina says, nodding. She gazes into the bright hazel eyes of her best friend.

"So if he feels the same way you do, then perhaps he has had a similar experience."

"He did lose his wife, or whatever that means."

Tink smiles gently, shaking her head as she steps towards Regina. "Then I think he sees you as someone with whom to take comfort, someone who will give him that second chance; the same exact chance that subconsciously, you may even be looking for."

Regina frowns, eyes glistening with held tears. "He thinks I'm his second chance?" Tink shrugs, but nods fervently. It does make sense, now that the brunette does consider. Why else would he be so desperate to reach out to her, to help her? Perhaps helping her is a way of helping himself. Perhaps he too is still in a lot of pain.

"Don't you as well?", the blonde says.

"Don't I what?"

"Don't you see him as a second chance?", Tink asks gently.

And Regina closes her eyes, sighing softly once more in defeat.

* * *

She sits on her bed, anxiously looking at that crushed piece of paper, which now lies damp between her sweaty fingers. Her heart thumps double time, brain fuzzy. Regina can hardly think straight as she stares fixedly at these seemingly daunting numbers, scrawled in front of her. She chews her lip in upset so hard she can taste the blood. After running her hand through her hair for the hundredth time this night, she clears her throat, forcing the warring parts of herself to unite and come to a consensus, make an executive decision. She _will_ call him. After mulling over her conversation with Tink from earlier this evening, she has made a decision. She definitely will call him. Glancing at her bedside clock, Regina chomps on the inside of her cheek. Ten o'clock pm. Will he still even be awake? The brunette heaves a deep sigh, shaking her head. It's either now or never. So upon dialing the number and lifting her cellphone to her ear, she clears her throat once more, and makes the call.

"Hello?", Robin's gentle voice carries through the line, instantly melting the brunette at the other end without warning.

"Um, hi," Regina replies unsteadily, "It's me. Regina. Regina Mills." Immediately, the brunette rolls her eyes at her own response, willing herself to pull it together.

"Regina," Robin repeats, his voice a hushed and gentle whisper, "How may I help you? Are you all right?"

"Yes. I'm fine, er, more or less," Regina stutters, biting once more her bottom lip. A short silence ensues.

"I'm sorry I upset you this afternoon," Robin says after a time.

Regina closes her eyes, shaking her head although the man cannot see it. "Don't worry about it. Like the many other people in my life, you were only trying to help. I guess, the problem is—my problem is—I am not a very good listener."

"I see…"

"And I was thinking—thinking a lot tonight—that, maybe opening up might not be such a bad idea."

"What do you mean?", Robin asks rather cautiously, "What are you implying?"

Regina sighs. "I'm implying that I'm up for a second chance, as I'm sure you do as well. That is, if you'll still have me back in."

"Of course, Regina," comes the whispered answer, "You wouldn't think I'd give up on you that easily."

"It seemed quite apparent this afternoon."

"It was. But I also just wanted to give you your space, and ensure that you knew that I absolutely would completely leave you alone should you choose."

"I pushed you away…," Regina murmurs, "All you were was so kind and understanding and I pushed you away…as I do most."

"It's all right."

"No it's not. It's rude, and it's selfish, and-"

"No, Regina. It's understandable," Robin says gently, "I was the same way."

"Well what made you change?", Regina asks, frowning.

"After a long while I realized that all this distancing of myself would only make matters worse. Not to mention it only made me feel worse about myself. It got to the point that I was literally pushing away all the people I cared about and loved, including my son."

"I fear that is what's beginning to happen with Tink," Regina sighs hopelessly.

"Then perhaps you should start with her," Robin suggests.

"Um…"

"Mend whatever happened between you and her, Regina. And then after that, meet me at the small Chinese restaurant down the road to your studio. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. Say, eight o'clock. This Friday night."

Regina's eyes widen. "What? Y-you mean like a date?", she breathes incredulously.

"That's exactly what I mean," is the firm answer. The brunette can practically sense the smile at the other end of the line.

"You seem quite pleased with yourself," Regina says, the corner of her lips twitching in meager attempts to hold back a smirk.

"I am. But I'm also rather excited."

Regina laughs softly. "You are excited?", she scoffs slightly.

"Perhaps yes…"

"Why?"

"Because, Regina, you are one interesting woman."

* * *

The next morning, Regina trudges downstairs in her normal dance wear; black, knitted leggings over a black leotard and pink tights, black motorcycle jacket over top for fashion. Her hair is done neatly up in its usual flawless bun, all loose strands of hair pinned away from her face.

"Morning, Regina," Tink says, barely gazing upward from her bowl of fruit salad and yoghurt.

"Morning, Tink," Regina returns, moving to sit opposite her friend at the kitchen table with a glass of milk and some jam on toast and a granola.

"How did the call go last night?"

"So you were spying on me?"

"Believe it or not, Regina, you talk very loudly. And very late. You were on until practically midnight."

"I know, I'm sorry if I disturbed you," Regina apologizes genuinely.

Tink nods. "So what happened? From what I heard, you took my advice to heart for once in your life."

Regina smirks at her friend, rolling her eyes. "Yes, Tink, I did. Thank you for that, actually."

Tink sighs, shaking her head as she returns her friend's smirk with a small one of her own. "I was waiting for you to say that."

"I know," Regina admits, gazing down towards her milk, "I'm seeing him again."

"Really?"

"Yes. Friday night at the Chinese place. Eight o'clock."

"A date."

"Yes."

"Wow," Tink breathes, shaking her head, "See what happens when you listen to me for once, and not push me away?"

"I know, I'm sorry about that," Regina sighs contritely, "I really am."

"Glad to hear it," Tink replies, grinning, "Now go set things straight with your man."

"My man?", Regina laughs.

"Yes. Your man."

"You realize that I still have only known Robin all of three seconds. This date is just to clear the air between us-"

"-And possibly move forward," Tink finishes, "Don't even deny it. You want him."

"No I-"

"-Do."

"Don't." Regina snorts, feeling her cheeks begin to heat.

"Do." Tink laughs, "Just look at you. You're turning beet red again."

"No I'm not. And I don't turn 'beet red'."

"Yes you are. And okay, I might be exaggerating. But truly, your heart says something different, but I can completely tell. And not just me, anyone can. Your heart wants something, but your mind is what gets in the way of it. You think too much, Regina."

"You think?"

"I know."

"Well what you should know is to not get too excited about this. I'm not looking for anything crazy. It's just a casual thing where I'm going to try and at least strike up a calm conversation for once."

"That's a good place to start. It doesn't seem too hard," Tink says, shrugging.

"For you it isn't," Regina corrects, "But me…"

"You just need to relax, and let things happen naturally."

"I'm awful at that."

"You're only awful if you think too much. Which is why I'm saying that you think way too much. It's like dance. You think before, but then once the music is on, you have to stop thinking about it and let it happen naturally, let yourself dance."

"Now look at you, all fancy with your metaphors."

"Yes, well God knows that you'll connect with dance way better than you'd ever would with a human."

"Okay, okay fine," Regina laughs, "I'll try." She glances up at the clock and sighs. "I have to get to rehearsal," she announces after shoving in her last bite of toast and granola before standing. "I'll see you later."

"Stop thinking!", Tink calls after her friend.

"Okay, shut up!"

* * *

Wednesday and Thursday are a drag as the brunette finds herself thrown into a whirlwind of rehearsals that seem to take place nonstop, rarely allowing her to stop and catch her breath. However, the work is fully welcomed, as it allows Regina to escape from those difficult emotions that have been eating her alive, and fully immerse herself into the precious art form she has come to know and love. Tink is always there, of course, making her usual smart, cutsy comments every now and then that make Regina smile, therefore making the days at least a bit bearable. It's not that the dancer hates the whole process of rehearsing, preparing for a show. It's just that it is indeed a process, one that eats both time and effort, both physically as well as emotionally.

Not to mention that Graham is always a constant presence in and outside the studio, whether she likes it or not. Yet, Regina has found ways to avoid him, ways in which she would leave immediately after a pas de deux rehearsal to avoid conversation or just simply ignore him should he want to converse. It is most definitely controversial behavior. However, the brunette doesn't seem to care, as she repeatedly tells herself that the man is none but a dance partner. That's it.

So it is after two full days of enduring rehearsals and evading Graham, that Regina finally finds herself heading once more down that familiar road, not to the ballet studio for once, but to that quaint little Chinese restaurant down on the corner, that very Friday night. Her heart beats wildly as heels click-clack on the pavement. Dressed in a simple, form-fitted black dress with a V-neck and closed back that reaches just above her knees, Regina hastens down the sidewalk, crossing the road towards the eatery just across the way. She comes to a halt just before the door in order to compose herself. Sighing softly whilst running a shaking hand through her raven locks, now let loose and shimmering under the overhead light in front of the restaurant door, Regina clears her throat and grabs the handle, pulling firmly.

She sees him across the room, seated at a booth, one that is furthest from the regular crowd of customers. Her heart lurches within her chest. Although the man sports a clean regular green cotton T-shirt and a pair of plain khakis, he looks divine. Wavy dirty blonde locks parted just askew to the side fall beautifully to the side, some spilling onto the very top of his forehead.

"Regina," he greets, "You look…" The brunette watches him eye her form up and down with an genuine, adoring smile.

"I know," Regina replies with a slight rosy blush to her cheeks as she takes her seat opposite him. She flips her hair over her shoulder before placing her forearms on the table, smirking sweetly at him.

"Oh you are a character," Robin chuckles.

Regina laughs. "You don't even know the half of it."

"Really? Try me," the man states, sitting back with an amused smirk upon his lips.

"Well, Tink calls me the Evil Queen sometimes."

Robin's eyes widen as he crosses his arms, feigning shock. "I would never have thought you to be so, _Your Majesty_ ," he gasps.

"Yes," Regina declares, tilting her chin upward, "So beware." She chuckles lowly.

Robin rolls his eyes. "You really are one interesting woman."

"That I am," Regina sighs, shaking her head. She takes a moment to fully observe the man in this light, fully and truly observe him. He's cute, no doubt. His features are so gentle. Just by looking at this man, one can tell he is none but a soft-hearted, kind, and caring person. And in seeing this, it is hard for Regina not to wonder how people such as him exist. He just seems too…perfect.

"What are you thinking about?", Robin asks gently, gazing back into the chocolate brown of her eyes with the same level of intensity.

"You," Regina murmurs.

Robin's lips tilt upward into another gentle smile. "What about me?"

"Everything," Regina replies before shaking her head softly, breaking her gaze to pick an imaginary strand of hair caught on her arm before peeking back up at him, as he still continues to regard her in his own, quiet and respectful, yet fascinated way. The brunette clears her throat, tucking a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. She shakes her head again. "When you said that you understood me, understood where I was coming from, you mentioned your wife and how you lost her." Regina closes her eyes and breathes softly outwardly. "What happened?", she asks.

Immediately, Robin's face falls slightly as a sorrow suddenly clouds over those bright blue eyes, a sadness that bothers Regina to the point of wanting to do everything in her power to erase it permanently. It just looks so wrong on him. "I'll tell you," Robin breathes gently, "But only if you tell me what had happened to you."

Now, it is the brunette's turn for her demeanor to fall as she finds herself biting her lip nervously. She had never admitted anything of the like to anyone other than Tink. Is she ready to disclose such sensitive information to this man? But the look he gives her is one of sincerity, one of promise; promise of her confidentiality, her security. And he doesn't even have to say a word. Closing her eyes again, Regina sighs, nodding softly.

"I lost my wife, Marian, when Roland was just two years old," Robin begins, "We both were in a very rough spot financially, just barely getting by, scraping together all we had in order to provide food for our baby boy, never mind ourselves." He closes his eyes as if something painful has suddenly struck right through him, something unbearable. "We were arguing so badly. About money, about everything we could possibly think of. It all just spilled out in tidal wave after tidal wave of frustration and fury. Just everything that had been pent up inside suddenly bubbled over, bursting forth in a tsunami of twisted emotion. I remember the tears in her eyes as she fought to hold on to the little bit of love she had in her heart for both Roland and I. And I as well. God, I must have fought so hard to convince her to stay. But she didn't. In a mess of tears, she left the house, slamming the door behind her. I followed." Robin shakes his head, wincing as if the memory lances through him like a knife. "It all happened so fast. The screeching tires, the pale white headlights of the car. She had run straight into the street without even thinking. I held her in my arms that one last time, blood soaking my shirt, the sound of breaking glass and screaming tires still ringing fresh in my ears." He opens his eyes once more, sighing softly, eyes shining with held tears. "When I go back now and reflect back on that night, that night that she was taken from me, I realized just how stupid that fight was. We were just both far too headstrong, far too much in despair with our lasting predicament. But I would give anything, anything, just to go back to that night and hold her in my arms instead of letting her go. I would comfort her, kiss her hair, tell her that everything would be all right, everything would work out."

Regina listens with wide eyes, her own eyes glistening with tears. It is in this moment when for the first time, her heart reaches out to him, and she wants nothing more than to envelop him in her arms, and tell him just that; that everything would be all right. For more than ever now, she can relate. For the first time in a long time, Regina has finally found someone to whom she finds she can establish a profound connection. The brunette watches on sadly as the man opposite her fights to keep himself composed. He sighs loudly before shaking his head, almost as if to shake away the emotion. It is then that Regina watches him quietly as he turns his gaze back towards her, quietly anticipating her response, her story.

So it is with a heavy heart that she takes a breath, a deep, deep breath. And begins.

"His name was Daniel…"

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Next up, we will explore just what has happened to Regina in the past, what exactly has made her so afraid of love. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review!**


	5. Regina

**This is it guys! A little bit of Regina's dark past finally comes to light! Please enjoy and leave a review! Thanks :)**

* * *

"He was eighteen then, and myself, fifteen. It was just one year in our short relationship, but a year that I will never forget…"

 _"Shut up, Daniel! We're going to get caught!", a young Regina whispers, squeezing the hand of the young boy beside her._

 _"Regina, it's fine. We aren't even near your mother's yet."_

 _"Yes, but she has eyes everywhere, you ought to know that by now!", the brunette hisses, "And she'll have both of our heads, yours especially should she discover about us. I've told you over and over again."_

 _"Yes, yes I know," Daniel huffs, "But come on, what can she do? It's not like she can keep us apart."_

 _"Oh well that doesn't mean she won't try."_

 _Regina watches with an anxious expression as the boy stops, moving in front of her. He places both hands on her shoulders, pulling her towards him. "You worry way too much," Daniel whispers softly, nudging his nose with hers._

 _The brunette sighs deeply, shaking her head. "I can't lose you, Daniel," she replies, eyes shining under the dull beam of the streetlight, "You're all I care about, all that matters to me."_

 _"You won't lose me, Regina," Daniel says gently, "Not to your mother, not to anything. I love you. You know I do."_

 _"Yes, but is it enough?", Regina whispers, gazing up at him, "Is it enough to get us out of here?"_

 _Daniel nods. "Yes, because with love comes hope. And with hope comes courage, and the power to fight for what little we have in any way possible. I have the money. By tomorrow night we will be gone, gone for good. I promise."_

 _"But what about-"_

 _"Regina, don't worry about your mother. Nothing will happen, I swear. We've gone over this plan over and over again. It will work. It has to."_

 _Regina closes her eyes. "We're so young, Daniel."_

 _"We'll find a way. You have to believe in it."_

 _"As long as you are confident," Regina sighs, gazing up into the soft hazel eyes of her young lover._

 _"Please don't worry about this, Regina."_

 _"I won't," Regina states, rather unconvincingly. To this, Daniel smirks, shaking his head in slight amusement._

 _"No, you will," he says as the corners of his mouth twitching._

 _"Won't."_

 _"Will."_

 _"Won't!", Regina retorts, smirking back at him._

 _"You worrywart."_

 _"Stop it!" Regina laughs, slapping Daniel on the arm. Daniel beams at her, shaking his head as he brings both is hands up to cup the brunette's face and press his lips to hers in a soft and gentle kiss. Regina exhales softly, relishing in the feeling of the lips of the one she loves, the only one she has ever loved so profoundly. Her eyes flutter closed as Daniel deepens the kiss, their lips moving together in perfect synchronization. Regina hums softly, smiling against him as he continues to kiss her again and again for this one savory moment that is, until the shouting begins._

 _It all just seems to have happened so fast. Screeching tires slice through the air, startling the couple, thus breaking apart their kiss. Regina screams, gripping onto Daniel's wrist as deafening shots ring lance through the quiet air. The two look around wildly, startled and frightened stiff, as they haven't a clue as to where they come from. But the heavy tread of footsteps quickly approach as four armed men suddenly emerge from one side of the building in front of which the couple stand. And the car to which the sound of the screeching tires belonged, stationed diagonally across, traps them in between the crossfire of this gang fight._

 _"Daniel!", Regina screams as more gunshots are fired. There is no time to react. He is the first to fall, collapsing on top of Regina, thus throwing her to the ground. "Daniel! No!", the brunette cries as she crawls out from underneath him before pulling her lover up into her lap. With a shaking hand, her fingertips graze the gaping bullet wound at the center of his chest. "No," she whispers, feeling bile rise to her throat. And it is then that she is suddenly doubling over to the side, spilling the contents of her stomach right there on the pavement._

 _Wiping at her mouth furiously, Regina recovers and continues to hug her lover close. Pressing a soft kiss to his cold lips, she lets her tears wash over his cheeks as she cries openly. The gang had moved on, far too caught up in their feud to pay any mind to the grief-stricken girl. There, they leave her alone on the once more empty street to mourn the loss of her beloved; to cry and hold him close until the flashing lights and sirens arrive._

Regina wipes softly at her eyes, refusing to meet the gaze of the man opposite her who sits quietly, listening to her recount the events of that fateful night.

"Regina…," Robin begins, though unable to articulate the words he wishes to say. He closes his eyes. "You were fifteen?"

Regina nods sadly, a few tears escaping down her cheeks. The man shakes his head. "Unbelievable," he mutters under his breath. "I know this doesn't help in the least, but I'm so sorry, Regina. I really don't know what to say, or what I can say to make this better."

"There is nothing to say," Regina replies in a monotone, gazing at him with wide brown eyes.

"How did you recover from such a traumatic event?"

Regina shakes her head. "I didn't. I didn't for a while. Even now, I don't believe I have. But after I've had my share of my mother's punishments, I was sent to a counseling center. Every Friday afternoon, I was made by both my mother and teachers to go and sit on this old torn up, leather couch in this drab, stiflingly small psychiatrist's office, and talk about how I felt. It was ludicrous really, having to say what would be so obvious. Like, of course, I was upset, depressed, and angry. I got into fights at school constantly because of that. This scar on my lip is enough proof." Regina points to her top lip where a small indentation splits her skin ever so slightly.

"Let's just say that the rest of my childhood was damaged from that point on," she sighs, "And that's just putting it lightly. Because of what had happened, my mother amped up her attention on me. Six months later, she moved both her and I out of that God-awful neighborhood as she rose to power. From the incident on, Mother never let me out of her sight, as she kept me on a tight leash. I was more than lonely, even more than depressed. Those two words were but euphemisms to the profound wretchedness I felt. I loved no one…" Regina sighs softly, resting both her arms folded neatly on the table. "The only way to deal with such misery was to escape, to go someplace where the pain, the agony, my mother, couldn't reach me."

"Dance," Robin whispers softly.

Regina nods, another tear escaping down her cheek, leaving a wet trail imprinted upon her soft skin. "Yes," she states quietly, "It saved me, really. It saved me from a life of trouble, a life of even more darkness. Had it not been for dance, considering the path I initially began with all my pent up anger and fury, I probably would have become…evil."

Robin nods quietly in gentle understanding. "You are a strong woman, Regina," he whispers, gazing steadily into her eyes so filled with raw emotion.

Regina shakes her head, breaking their gaze to stare downwards at the table in front of her. "I don't feel strong."

"But you are. Look at how far you've come, what you've had to deal with. You are very strong, Regina, a brave and courageous woman despite the adversity thrown your way. I can tell you have that fighting spirit, that fireball inside you. And sooner or later, it all will pay off. You will find your happiness."

"It doesn't feel that way."

"But it is. You have to believe in it."

At his last statement, Regina's eyes widen suddenly. Her head has lifted once more to meet the man's eyes as he spoke the same words that her former lover had spoken. Those words before his death. "You think?", she whispers.

"I know," Robin responds with a firm nod.

"As long as you are confident," she breathes, the ghost of a smile shining through her tears.

"Use my confidence for the both of us," he says softly as his hand reaches over to rest atop hers.

* * *

No first date should ever start with such heavy topics. But then again, this couple remains far from normal, however yet in the best of ways. It always seems as if the more troubled a person is the more fascinating, and strangely, the more relatable he or she is. It's a peculiar paradox that which Regina finds herself silently pondering as conversation flows from one topic to another. She finds it interesting how the man opposite her deals with pain so well, so optimistically. Sure, he's had his moments when he questioned everything and was angered by the way things had been. Yet, he always seems to have managed to pull himself out of such a morose mindset in a way that Regina never really could. This isn't to say that Regina merely assumes that the man sitting across her is healed. Surely whenever the topic arises, there's always that glint of sadness in his eyes. However the man remains ever in good spirits, something of which Regina admires greatly, for she so often cannot bring herself to do such a thing. It makes her question even more as to pinpoint why exactly she is so pessimistic, so dark in her thoughts and outlook on life as a whole. However as the dinner progresses, Regina soon finds herself smirking, smiling, laughing with Robin. And nearer towards the end, it becomes clearer and clearer to her. Perhaps this is what she has been missing.

"Well, it seems as if I'll need to brush up on my French," Robin remarks, whistling through his teeth. The two walk together from the restaurant, heading back towards Regina's apartment.

"Come on," Regina coaxes, "You can do it. Say it again."

The sound of Robin's laughter echoes down the streets, filling Regina with a sense of warmth and light. "Glissade, jeté, coupe, pas de bourrée, assemblé, sauté, entrechat, entrechat."

Regina nods, beaming at the man. "There, see? It's not so bad."

"It all rhymes. There's a rhythm in just saying it."

"Yes, it does just happen a lot like that."

"So what I just said is the steps to one of your exercise combinations?", Robin clarifies.

"Precisely. It's a standard jumping exercise, a small jump."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, it's a jump that gets you off the ground obviously, but doesn't require as much effort and force to actually lift you high off the ground like a big jump would," Regina explains.

"And you like this?", Robin asks, looking towards her, "You like jumping?"

The brunette nods enthusiastically. "I'm more of a jumper I guess you could say. We usually like to split dancers into two separate categories for fun. For instance, you are either really good at turning or at jumping. And then there are those ballerinas who can do them both, those of whom most dancers become extremely jealous." Regina chuckles lowly, leaning closer to Robin as they continue to walk. "I consider myself both a turner and a jumper," she whispers.

Robin grins. "But you like jumping the best," he states.

"Yes. I like grand allegro, you know, the big jumps dancers do that take them flying across the stage; just because of that. They actually do make you feel like you are flying."

"You like that don't you?", Robin asks, eyeing Regina curiously with wide intrigued eyes, "You like detaching yourself from the earth? This world, even?"

"In every way, shape, and form, dance is my escape," Regina says, smiling gently at him, "To leave reality and come into a world of my own, a world where everything is none but bliss, free of any emotion except that of happiness and peace, that is my goal. I like to lose myself completely in dance and forget all of my troubles, my struggles. Only then am I truly happy."

Robin halts, turning towards the brunette. She gazes back into his eyes as he smiles gently at her, his smile creating great creases within his cheeks in the most endearing way possible. "You don't realize how lucky you are to have something so passionate about and do it so well. It's incredible, Regina. Just hearing you talk about it…you change dramatically."

Regina lifts a brow slightly. "Really?"

"You do," Robin insists with a firm nod, "It's like a peace has suddenly washed over you. I can already just tell how much of an impact it leaves on you, and I haven't even seen you dance yet. It's…beautiful. In all these seven days, I've never seen you look and speak so carefree and happy."

Regina shrugs, smiling down at his chest shyly whilst tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, they do say that dance has it's own psychological healing."

"Thank god for it. It seems to have profoundly saved you," Robin whispers, reaching up to cup Regina's cheek, "I really think it did."

"I know it did," Regina replies softly, "And I thank God everyday for it. It keeps me strong."

* * *

"Thank you for tonight, Robin," Regina acknowledges sincerely as the couple arrive in front of the door of her apartment.

"Don't mention it," Robin replies with a shake of his head, "It was a pleasure."

"Are you sure about that?", Regina asks, regarding all of the heavy topics that have been discussed at length during the duration of this date.

"Positive," the man says with a soft smile, "Any time spent with you is something good I'd say."

"Really?", Regina asks with a soft chuckle as she turns to face Robin.

"Really," Robin states, taking her hand softly. She gazes quietly up into his eyes for the longest time, chocolate holding blue. Instinctively, she takes a step towards him, their lips just inches away. Regina can feel him respond, his soft warm breath soft upon her lips. But upon closing her eyes, she can feel the all too familiar coldness creep up her spine and wrap its tendrils around her body to compress her chest. So it is with a clearing of her throat that she steps backward, eyes shining softly.

"Goodnight," Regina whispers softly.

"Goodnight," Robin bids with a gentle nod of his head, the compassion and understanding so clear within his eyes that it melts the brunette to the core.

And it is with that, Regina unlocks the door to her apartment and steps inside. With a soft smile, she closes the door softly, all the while keeping the gaze of the man on the other side until she can no more.

* * *

Sighing softly, it is then that she trudges up the stairs toward her bedroom. Regina flops onto her bed with a groan as conflicting emotions arise. She should have just kissed him. Oh how she desperately wanted to. But once again, her mind held her back with thoughts of Daniel. Perhaps Tink is right. Regina does think too much.

But then again, the man didn't move to kiss her either. Yet, the brunette is easy to excuse and keep the blame from him, as she knew that he didn't want to push her, didn't want to frighten her away again. She knew that Robin would have the respect and honor to wait until she was ready. But when is ready? That is the million-dollar question.

Regina groans exasperatedly, throwing an arm over her eyes. In minutes, she is fast asleep, sprawled horizontally across the bed; still dressed, heels and all. And there she stays, from midnight into eight o'clock the next morning when her cellphone begins to vibrate in her pocket.

"Mother?", Regina greets, voice still groggy and thick from sleep. With difficulty, she props herself up on her elbows as she listens to her mother speak. She surveys the room with a slight frown when she lays eyes on herself still being dressed in the clothes from the night before.

"Regina dear, you sound awful," Cora Mills answers, her sickly sweet drawl dripping into Regina's ear from the other end of the line.

"I'm fine Mommy," Regina groans.

"You're not hungover? Sleep deprived? Going through withdrawal?"

Regina snorts, rolling her eyes. "No Mother."

"Did you just snort at me?"

"No."

"And I bet you just rolled your eyes too."

Regina rolls her eyes again in defiance, shifting herself to sit properly. "What do you want, Mother?", she sighs, slipping out of her heels and coming to stand.

"Dear, I called to tell you that I've managed to pull some strings and talk to some people-"

"And what?", Regina cuts in, impatiently.

"Don't interrupt me," Cora chides before continuing, "As I was saying, I managed to finally create a job opening for you, right here in the company. That's right, you have a job, a true job. Heart Enterprises is in need of a new head of finance."

Regina's eyes bulge. "What?!", she yells, "Mother, how?"

"I told you. Dear, I had to fire the last one. I had no choice. The man was just so incompetent, useless to me. And let me tell you, the board had a field day when I suggested you for the job. But I told them. My daughter most certainly has what it takes to fulfill this seat."

"But Mom-"

"No buts."

"No, I can't!", Regina exclaims, her heart racing against her chest.

"What do you mean you can't? You're fully capable."

"I'm not qualified enough."

"Of course you are, dear. I didn't pay to send you to college business and accounting classes for nothing. You have the degree. But it was you who decided to run away and let that degree go to waste. I won't have that anymore."

"Those were only minor classes, and you _forced_ me to go."

"Regina," Cora states firmly, "Do you really want to spend the rest of your life doing this nonsense for the rest of your life, making God knows how much money."

"I make enough to get by, thank you very much."

"That's just it. You're only getting by. Don't you realize you can make, you can be so much more?"

"Mother, please, I can't. My life is here, in London, with Royal Ballet. I can't leave them. I love my life here. I love ballet-"

"But dear, haven't I told you time and time again that love is weakness? It hinders you, keeps you from fulfilling your fullest potential. You can do so much more, be so much more."

"By working for you," Regina adds bitterly.

"Now don't start, my company-"

"Is your company. Is your life. I don't want it."

"Regina!", Cora scolds.

"Mother listen-"

"No. You listen to me. This spot in Hearts Inc. finance department is vacant now. If you won't take it, the company will suffer."

"Hire someone else."

"I will take no one else. There is no one else suitable to my liking, for this position."

"Why are you doing this?", Regina whispers, pressing a palm to her forehead, "Didn't you like it when I dance? What happened when I became a soloist, and then got promoted to a principal in the company? You were so happy then. I mean, sure you used my success as a means to brag and exalt yourself-"

"Regina!"

"-But you congratulated me, sent me flowers. Was that all true? Or was it a farce?"

"Regina, I was only doing that because I didn't want to disappoint you," Cora replies, "You just seemed so happy. So I let you do your thing until I could find you a better job, one suited for a daughter of mine."

"You can't just do that. It's my life," Regina protests.

"No, Regina. It's mine. I didn't work as hard as I did, make the sacrifices I made, for you to run off and lose yourself to none but childlike fantasies. I want you to be more. This job is who you are meant to truly be."

"They're not fantasies! I'm sick and tired of you treating me like a child!"

"Regina, that's enough."

"Mother, please don't do this. I can't just pick up and leave," Regina begs, yes begs shakily, panicking. Immediately her thoughts fly to Robin. What about him? What about the man who has suddenly seemed to turn her world on its head and awaken her from this lasting darkness in which she had been? And Tink? There is no way that Regina could possibly bring herself to leave her best friend, the only one who truly knows her inside and out, her only confidant, her other half. And the company. They would be losing one of the most esteemed principal dancers should the brunette leave. There would be too much at stake.

"Find a way, Regina," Cora states, "I know you will. You have all of the means. You just need to put them to use. I'll give you six weeks to make that decision and fly back to New York."

"Six weeks!", Regina exclaims, "But my show! I am to dance the lead."

"Then no later than a week after the end of that performance. Understood?"

"But-"

"Understood?", Cora repeats.

Regina sighs deeply, closing her eyes. "Yes Mother."

"Good. I'll talk to you later and give you more information so as to allow you to prepare for your position."

"Yes. Goodbye."

"Goodbye dear."

Regina presses the button to end the call, lowering her phone to her lap and staring at it emotionlessly. A few moments later, a great shattering of glass rings throughout the quiet apartment as phone, after flying across the bedroom, meets mirror on the other side.

* * *

 **Cora makes trouble once again. What will Regina do? How will Robin play a role in her decision? And don't forget about Graham... Stay tuned!**

 **Thanks again! And please don't forget to leave a review!**


	6. Elusive Escape

**Here's a nice long chapter for you all. I hope you enjoy! And please don't forget to leave a review!**

* * *

"Regina!", a highly concerned Tink cries out as she bolts up the stairs, making a beeline straight towards her best friend's room. "Oh my god, what happened?", she exclaims, wide eyes taking in the shattered glass of the vanity mirror, the phone lying amongst the shards, and the brunette sitting with her head in her hands upon the bed.

"Regina, what's wrong?", Tink asks again, approaching Regina slowly.

"You don't want to know," Regina moans as if in pain.

"Come on. You know that's not going to work," Tink states, sitting beside her, "What happened?"

"My mother," the brunette mumbles, shaking her head, "She wants me to leave."

"Leave?", Tink repeats, eyebrows knitting together in a tight frown, "What do you mean 'leave'?"

"Leave!", Regina yells as she lifts her head to gaze at her friend, eyes wild with anxiety. "Leave the company. Leave you. Leave London. Leave England!"

"What?!", Tink breathes in disbelief, "Why?"

"She wants me to work in her company," Regina mumbles, "She wants me to go back to living her life, to go back to being the good daughter I was meant to be, to follow in her footsteps, and add even more credit to her name."

"Regina that's insane!", Tink exclaims, "She can't just do that. She can't just expect you to pick up and leave, let alone leave something you love so much for some petty office job."

"That's not how she sees it," Regina snorts. She closes her eyes, flopping backwards onto the bed and throwing an arm over her eyes. "She gave me no later than a week after the show for me to pack my things and move back to New York," the brunette adds lowly.

"That's so unfair," Tink says, "I thought she left you alone."

"She will never leave me alone," Regina remarks miserably, "She's incapable of such a thing."

"You need to talk to her, Regina."

"Don't think I've tried."

"Regina, you can't leave. I don't want you to leave. None of us do. What about Robin?"

Regina peeks at Tink from underneath her elbow, grimacing as she feels her own chest constrict at the thought. "I'll have to let you all go…"

Tink's eyes widen. "You can't seriously be considering this," she states incredulously.

"Tink," Regina sighs, "I don't have a choice. You know my mother. She will hire no one else. And should I refuse, the company will suffer."

Tink shakes her head. "Unbelievable," she murmurs, standing.

Regina sighs, moving her elbow back over her eyes with a deep groan. In the silence, she hears her friend walk out of the room, leaving her to ponder the minimal options she has left.

* * *

"Robin, I don't want to talk right now," Regina sighs, shifting her cellphone from one ear to another as she balances it between her ear and shoulder whilst washing the dishes.

"Regina, what's wrong?", Robin asks, his gentle voice pouring through from the other end, "Something's happened since I left you at your door last night."

"Are you always this intrusive?", Regina bites.

"Only when I know that the one I've begun to care deeply about sounds troubled."

Normally, the brunette would scoff at such a sappy remark, however at this time she can't seem to help the small smile that creeps to her lips. She snorts softly. "Really?", she remarks, still not able to keep the sarcasm from the tone of her voice, "You care deeply about me?"

"Quite possibly, milady. I hope that is all right?"

Regina smirks down at the dishes, shaking her head although the man cannot see. "I suppose," she sighs, rolling her eyes.

"So what's up? You sound under the weather."

"My mother called me."

"Oh." A silence ensues for a moment or two. "I take that it is not a good thing."

"No. Not in the least."

"My mother and I have a complicated relationship."

"I gathered."

"You know I told you she's extremely strict and unyielding. Well, that's the least of the problem. With such an attitude also comes that conceitedness, that desire for power, and that push therefore to make me gain higher status, more wealth in order to live up to her ideals as being her prized daughter. It's just another thing that she takes great pride in exploiting to feed her own personal image."

"So, she's using you."

"Exactly. And guess what exactly about me that does the exact opposite for her?"

"The fact that you dance," Robin answers in a breath.

"Yes. She wants me—is forcing me—to take a job in her company. I have until a week after the show to pack up and move back to New York."

"Regina that's unacceptable. She can't just do that to you. She doesn't own you."

"I know. And I thought I escaped her when I moved here all those years ago. But I'm telling you, she's sly and cunning, and always manages to find a way to ruin my life even from four thousand miles away."

Robin sighs deeply, and Regina can tell he is shaking his head incredulously. "I don't believe this."

"You better," she replies glumly.

"What are you going to do?"

"I have no choice. I must take the job, or else the company will fail."

"Can't she just hire someone else?"

"She won't. She's a very stubborn woman."

"Very stubborn indeed to put her entire company on the line just to get you home and work for her."

"Tell me about it. She's crazy," Regina says sighing, "I really do think that something is wrong with her mind."

Robin sighs once more, running a hand through his hair. "Look, why don't you come over tonight. It'll help you get your mind off things."

"Robin, I can't escape this forever. You know that."

"I do. But right now, you need a break from all of this angst. It's not good for you."

Regina laughs humorlessly. "And you think you can provide just that? An escape?"

"I can certainly try. If it's any more of a temptation, my son will be delighted to meet you."

The brunette's eyes widen. "Roland?"

"Yes. I told him about you. He's excited to see you."

"What did you tell him?"

"That you are a very beautiful lady I met at the coffee shop."

Another small smile tugs at the corners of Regina's mouth. "Oh," she breathes, turning off the faucet and heading towards the kitchen table to take a seat. "Well I guess I should say thank you."

"A simple thank you would suffice, yes," is the cheeky reply.

Regina chuckles, shaking her head. "All right," she replies, "I'll be there at six sharp. Just text me your address again. I don't quite remember where you live, as you can recall the last time I was there I wasn't at my best."

"I recall quite well," Robin responds, "All right. I'll see you then."

"See you," Regina bids before cutting the call. She places the phone on the table in front of her, smiling ridiculously at it. And although it's but a small grin, she feels absolutely absurd. Yet, it's true. This man always seems to manage to put the brunette in a better mood despite any trifle.

* * *

Upon arriving back at the man's apartment at precisely that hour, Regina takes time to survey the place from a more sober point of view than last. It's a quaint little apartment, very homey despite its rather plain interior. It's the typical flat, nothing new or unusual standing out from the rest. Robin welcomes the brunette warmly with a gentle hug, ushering her in before following himself. She then follows him into the kitchen.

It is then that a small brown-haired boy leaps up from his place at the kitchen table and makes a beeline towards the couple. Regina gazes at the small boy with wide eyes, her own chocolate meeting the chocolate of his. Instinctually she cannot help but to smile brightly at him, completely taken by his little wavy brunette locks that curl at the ends, flopping about his forehead as he bounces about.

"Roland, this is Regina," Robin introduces, smiling proudly at his son, "Regina, meet Roland, my son."

Regina smiles gently, waving at the little boy that barely reaches past her knees in height. The smile he gives her, much like his father's, is another one that melts her to the core. "Hi Roland," Regina greets warmly.

"Hi Gina!", Roland chirps, his voice light and innocent. He grins up at her whilst the brunette gazes down at him shyly. Apparently she already has a monicker, one that which makes her heart soften even more so. No one has ever called her that.

"It's nice to meet you," Regina says politely, extending her hand.

Excitedly, Roland takes her hand into his and shakes it firmly. "How do you do?", he giggles.

"Very well, thank you," Regina replies.

"You are really pretty," Roland comments suddenly as he looks up at her, his eyes wide with intrigue as he scrutinizes her features. "Daddy says that he really likes you."

"Thank you," Regina repeats, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before suddenly turning to a reddened Robin with a raised brow after the second statement. "Does he now?", she inquires with a smirk.

"Yup!", Roland states with a proud nod. "He says you're a very good friend!"

"I did, didn't I?", Robin says quickly before bending to scoop his son up into his arms. Regina tilts her head slightly as she can see a small, ever so slight blush creep across the man's cheeks. "Shall we order a pizza?", he asks suddenly after a moment or two of slightly awkward yet endearing silence. He nuzzles Roland's nose. Roland beams, clapping his little hands in delight. Regina laughs, nodding her approval, not taking her eyes off the little boy for a moment.

* * *

"You dance?!", Roland exclaims, his eyes wide with fascination, "That's so cool!" Regina laughs, shifting closer to the little boy in between her and Robin on the couch. After a wonderful dinner of half pepperoni, half veggie pizza, the trio sits relaxed and comfortable on the brown leather couch in Robin's living room.

"Yes I do, I dance ballet," Regina smiles shyly, nodding her head. Robin chuckles softly, reaching over to ruffle his son's curls.

Roland claps his hands in excitement. "Show me a move!", he squeals.

Regina laughs, shaking her head. Normally, she would scorn such a request; having gotten it from numerous annoyingly ignorant friends who think ballet is none but hobby. Yet this one, coming from the young boy's mouth, is cute and endearing. "No I don't think I can-"

"Please, Gina, please?", the little boy begs, grasping her arm and tugging desperately. Regina glances back at Robin who merely shrugs, smirking back at her. With a soft sigh, she stands, shaking her head amusingly.

"All right," she says, "I'll teach you one thing. How about that?"

"Okay!", Roland chirps, jumping off the couch and coming to stand next to her.

"Okay, stand up straight," Regina first commands gently, placing her hand on the small of his back. The boy stands as straight as an arrow, puffing his little chest outward, chin held high.

"Very good," Regina compliments. "Now, turn your feet out like this so that your heels touch each other and your toes point away. See the little 'v' that you make?"

Roland does as he's told, trying to turn his little feet out as much as possible. "Very good!", Regina repeats, clapping her hands together. "Now place your arms down in front of you, bend your elbows slightly so that you make a round shape and almost touch the tips of your fingers together." Roland nods, positioning his arms as the brunette says. "Perfect!", Regina declares, "Now you are standing in what we call, a preparatory first position."

The little boy grins up at her, eyes shining with excitement and pride as he silently begs for more. Regina, upon taking the hint, finds herself without reluctance to continue.

"Okay, so now, move your right leg to the side while keeping your left—this leg—yes, right where it is. As you move your right leg, straighten your knee. Good! See if you can point your toe—Perfect!" Regina beams. "Now you're doing a tondue."

Roland squeals in delight. "Look Daddy!", he exclaims, "I'm doing ballet!"

Robin grins at his boy, clapping his hands together in a short round of applause as the little boy takes a dramatic bow. Regina laughs, shaking her head endearingly at the scene in front of her. This is just about the warmest she has ever felt in such a long time.

"Well done, Regina," Robin praises, beaming at the blushing brunette.

"Teach me more!", Roland chimes, holding onto his father as he is enveloped into his daddy's arms.

Regina chuckles, shaking her head. "Maybe some other time."

"That's right," Robin adds, "Bedtime now."

"Aw no!", Roland protests, pushing his lower lip in a pout, "But I want to stay with Gina!" Regina cannot help but smile at this new monicker.

"It's okay," Regina reassures, "You'll see me again."

"You will?", Robin and Roland both ask simultaneously, both their eyes widening. Regina narrows her eyes slightly at Robin, but laughs at both father and son's expressions. "Yes, of course. Now goodnight."

Roland giggles softly, waving at Regina. "Goodnight, Gina," he returns with a smile. Regina waves, tilting her head and showing her perfect set of teeth for the little boy who has suddenly and quite unexpectedly, stolen her heart.

* * *

"All set?", Regina asks, smirking at the dirty blonde as he finally descends the stairs and makes his way back into the living room.

"All set," Robin confirms with a nod, "Finally was able to calm him down. He was just so excited that you came."

Regina smiles gently. "He's a great boy," she responds.

"He is indeed," Robin agrees. He sits back down onto the couch beside the brunette, gazing at her with those big blue eyes before shaking his head almost as if in awe.

"What is it?", Regina asks softly, frowning slightly as she returns his gaze.

"Nothing," Robin answers, "It's just…you're so good with him. Roland just took to you immediately. Made me promise to remind you to come back."

Regina shrugs, smiling a little as she breaks their gaze to stare downward. "Who knew that even you would have a soft spot for children?", Robin remarks, following her gaze towards her hands which lie clasped tightly on her lap.

"Who knew," Regina repeats in a soft sigh. She lifts her chin to stare straight back into his eyes once more, finding that she can so easily lose herself within their profound blueness if she isn't so careful.

"Do you mean it?", Robin asks vaguely.

"Mean what?", Regina replies, furrowing her brow.

"Mean it when you said that you would see Roland again?", Robin clarifies.

"You doubt me?", the brunette says in a huff.

"No, I was just surprised. I didn't think that you would, well…-"

"Let myself in so easily?", Regina finishes.

"I suppose," Robin says with a shrug.

Regina shakes her head, sighing deeply. "Look I know—I know I'm a hard person to-"

"Get close to?", Robin concludes.

"To relate to," Regina says, nodding, "I know I can be—you know—distant."

"Regina it's all right," Robin whispers, lying his hand atop hers, "I never said that was a bad thing. Remember, I know how it is. More than anyone."

"Because of what happened to your wife," Regina murmurs.

"Yes, and because of what happened to Marian, you forget I've done the same thing. We distance ourselves from other people so that we don't end up being hurt all over again. We do that so that we protect ourselves."

"I know, but you changed."

"I did but-"

"Robin," Regina whispers, her dark eyes meeting his in a gaze that of pain, "I'm not so easy to change."

"Yes you can, Regina," Robin says gently, "You can change. I have faith in you. Everyone who cares about you has faith in you. You just have to open your eyes to see that."

Regina sighs, closing her eyes as she shakes her head again slowly. Despite the darkness, she can feel Robin shift closer to her before suddenly feeling the pad of his thumb trace her cheek; his broad, calloused hand cupping the side of her face. She can feel the warm breath upon her lips, suddenly awakening sensations, feelings that have long laid dormant, as something clenches deep down inside her. Her lips brush his, or so she feels. But the brunette can tell that he is holding back, weary of her own reaction. And this saddens Regina to think that she can come across as so unapproachable, so tense and agitated, mercurial. But right now, it's with a surge of courage and a strong leap of faith that she parts her lips, connecting with his in a soft and tender kiss.

It's like a breath of fresh all of a sudden as her heart takes to the sky, soaring above the clouds. Regina melts into this kiss, her lips molding with Robin's perfectly as if made for one another as this kiss deems itself to be unlike any other. And it is for this one moment that she finally feels free.

As the two part, they stare fixedly into each other's eyes, holding their gazes steadily; blue on chocolate. Her chest heaves slightly up and down as she breathes, her mind spinning around and around.

"I shouldn't be doing this," Regina whispers softly, gazing down quietly at his chest, "What about Roland? What will he think?"

"Roland loves you, Regina," Robin assures, "Trust me, you will be doing no harm."

"I don't want to come between you two," Regina insists however, "I don't want to look as if I'm trying to be his mother."

"Regina, no. Stop," Robin says with a firm shake of his head, "You will do none of the sort. You aren't even capable of such a thing."

"You have no idea what I'm capable of," Regina retorts.

"Oh I doubt that," Robin says with a slight smirk. Regina snorts, unable to hold back a smile of her own once more.

"I like it when you smile," Robin adds gently, lifting his hand once more to cup her cheek.

"You do?", Regina asks, leaning into his touch; his thumb swiping over the apple of her cheek.

"Yes," Robin replies, "You look so beautiful when you do it."

Regina smirks. "So should I do it more often?"

"Yes please," Robin whispers, pressing another kiss to her lips. "Please, Your Majesty," he adds, alluding to a remark previously made by Regina on their first official date.

* * *

Regina sighs deeply, perched on the edge of her bed. It's another morning. Sunday morning. Last night had been such an escape, just as Robin had promised. She marvels at the wonders this man has suddenly begun to perform on her heart. It isn't like her. It isn't like her at all to feel so stripped of her walls, so open and exposed, as she does when she is in his presence. It's a novelty for her, something so completely strange and foreign, yet so welcoming and intriguing to say the least. It is one that catches her off guard every time. And just by that one night, that one kiss, Regina suddenly feels like a different person.

She sighs again, staring down at the cellphone in her hand. The screen is cracked from it being thrown at the wall. Robin said to talk to her, to stand up to her. He said that this is her life, for which she must fight with that "fighting spirit", that inner fireball he always knew she had. Regina smirks slightly, shaking her head at the thought. It's true. If Cora wishes to endanger her company all because of something as petty as her daughter refusing a position within it, then that is her loss. Regina has come to realize that she cannot, and will not be held responsible for her mother's own company.

"Regina dear," Cora's sickly sweet voice spills from the other end of the line.

"Mother," Regina greets in monotone.

"What is it?"

"I've called to tell you that I will not be moving to New York after my performance. I choose to stay here. I _choose_ to choose this life. Ballet is who I am. It is what I do best. It's—it's my escape."

"Your escape?", Cora echoes, sneering.

"Yes," Regina growls, making a fist with her other hand, "My escape from you."

"Oh no dear," Cora says, "You don't need to escape me. You need to escape someone else or so my eyes and ears tell me correctly…someone you've been seeing. Am I right?"

Regina's eyes widen. "What? What do you know?"

"I know now, dear, exactly what or shall I say who is holding you back from missing this opportunity. A man by the name of Robin Locksley, am I correct?"

"How do you know that?", Regina demands, her grip tightening on her phone.

"I told you. No daughter of mine will be let run wild and crazy in this world. I have eyes and ears everywhere."

"No…"

"Yes. And as for the company, _your_ job, since I cannot persuade you hard enough, I will have to tell you that I will have absolutely no choice but to withdraw my donations to the Royal Ballet Company as one of their leading benefactors should you not take this job and move back to New York where you belong by the date I've set."

Regina's heart lurches within her chest. "No."

"Yes dear. I'm sorry it has come to this."

"You liar. I thought those donations were because you really cared. I thought it was because you wanted me to do this, that you were proud of me!"

"Regina-"

"You led me on! It's all nothing but an act!"

"I did what I need to do to keep you loyal to me at that moment and time. And quite frankly, when the company gained you as another protégé, I couldn't get them off my back asking for funds every second of my time."

"They're not like that. Please, we need those funds more than anything. You know how this works, how unstable this world is."

"Which is why, I'm so eager to pull you away from that towards an even better, more secure job. You won't see it now, but you will in the future. You should be thanking me, Regina."

"You can't do this."

"I can Regina because I am your mother and I will do anything to look after you."

"You're not looking after me, you're ruining me!", Regina yells angrily.

"No. You are ruining you Regina," Cora retorts.

"I refuse to leave."

"Then you shall watch _your_ company suffer."

"No…"

"As I said, the choice is yours."

With a raged growl, Regina cuts the call, slamming her phone down upon the desk. "That bitch," she snarls under her breath before collapsing in the desk chair; her head in her hands.

* * *

"Graham! Oh my god seriously?!", Regina yells as Graham messes up the sequence to their pas de deux for the umpteenth time this Monday morning.

"I'm sorry," Graham murmurs, shuffling a ways from her to start again.

"Are you serious right now?", Regina spits, "Get it together. We need to have this perfect by next rehearsal."

"Regina I said I'm sorry."

"Sure and then you'll just keep going on doing the same thing, making the same mistakes!", Regina explodes, waving her hand in the air exasperatedly. Graham merely frowns at her, his eyebrows knitted together firmly.

"Regina, what is going on?", he demands approaching her, "I agreed we would work together on this in our free time, but I didn't think you'd be so upset. Why are you like this?"

"Why are _you_ like this?", Regina bites.

"Please, can you just talk about it with me?" He gazes at her, steely grey eyes pleading softly, "Don't you understand I care about you?" Regina sighs, deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger in attempts to soothe the oncoming headache. It takes her a few moments to come back down to earth and calm her raging nerves.

"I'm sorry, it's just—it's my mother, among various other issues, namely her though," she groans.

"What about her?", Graham asks, gently approaching her to take her shoulders, rubbing his hands up and down her arms softly.

Regina squeezes her eyes shut. "She wants me to leave the company."

Graham's eyes widen as almost if by panic. "Leave?", he echoes, "Why?"

"Because she wants to ruin my life yet again and will stop at nothing to," Regina says quickly, "I'm not going to go into the details."

"Are you?", Graham asks carefully, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Well, I have no choice," Regina sighs, throwing her hands in the air.

"But you can't just pick up and leave."

"I have to."

"But what about us, Regina?", Graham questions, "What about the company? Your friends? We all need you. I need you."

Regina snorts. "You don't need me Graham," she says.

"Regina," Graham sighs, "I do. When you're around, I just—everything just seems better."

"Way to be so cliché Graham," Regina snickers humorlessly, "Can you get any sappier?"

"I'm serious. I like you, Regina. All right? I admit it. I like you."

Regina's demeanor suddenly drops, her heart skipping a beat. "Graham," she whispers, her eyes softening, "No. Please."

"Why?", he asks, "Why are you fighting this?"

"Fighting what?"

"What you truly feel?"

"Because Graham I-"

"Please," Graham begs, stepping towards her, taking her hand softly, "Look I know I've made a mistake. And I'm sincerely sorry about that. But I need you to understand."

"What do I need to understand Graham?", Regina asks, gazing into wide grey eyes.

"That you're the only woman I've ever felt this way before."

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed it! More to come...stay tuned! Thank you!**


	7. Love Unrequited

**Very long chapter for you all! So sorry for the wait, I've just been so tired lately, ugh! Anyway, enjoy and please don't forget to leave a review!**

* * *

Regina stares emotionlessly into his eyes; completely at a loss for words at what he has just said. What is she supposed to say?

"We're done practicing here. I'll see you in rehearsal," she finally states stiffly after several moments of silence before brushing past him.

Graham shakes his head, turning towards the direction in which she walks. "What do I have to do to get you to understand this? To reciprocate?"

"Just because you like someone doesn't mean that person would or should reciprocate," Regina spits, seating herself on the ground by her belongings to remove her pointe shoes. "You should know that."

"I do but you must feel at least something between us. At our rehearsals. That look in your eyes each time you dance with me. Now I know that there is something more than just you playing the role, than you just acting."

"Maybe it's just wishful thinking," Regina says, concentrating down at undoing the ribbons of her shoes.

"But then maybe it's something more. You forget what else happened between us?"

"Don't tell me you're still hung up on that kiss."

"It's much more than that. You said, that Friday night, that you loved me. Now I'm holding you to your word."

"That's not fair. I was drunk," Regina defends, glaring up at him.

"Even you yourself said that the truth tends to unfold when you are drunk. Not to mention that you are always responsible for your actions even when you are in that state of mind."

"Again, wishful thinking, Graham. I'm sorry," Regina says with a sigh, bowing her head.

"Then look me in the eye and tell me that you have no feelings for me whatsoever. Look me in the eye and tell me that the hallway banter, the constant snarky remarks when passing each other, the playful shoves, our pas de deux, _the kiss_ , was not real. Tell me it was all a farce, that you had no emotional connection whatsoever."

"You're being melodramatic, Graham," Regina states, shoving her shoes into her bag and standing.

"Answer me!", Graham commands impatiently.

"I don't need to answer you anything," Regina hisses, "You're acting like a lovesick, immature adolescent, with no knowledge of the workings and complexities of love whatsoever."

"Like you are any better," Graham shoots back.

"Excuse me?!"

"You heard me. I can see it in your eyes. It's written all over your face but you keep denying it because that is just what you do. You think you know everything about love yet you deny every emotion you could possibly feel for yourself or for anyone else. Sooner or later, Regina, everyone will stop trying. Sooner or later everyone will give up, because the pain that you cause from distancing yourself from those around you will be too much. And you _will_ be alone."

Regina glares at the man, her upper lip curling as her anger, her anger at him as well as herself rises, bubbling deep within her chest and making its way to the surface. It's the anger that comes with the fact that he is telling the truth, the fact that he must say what everyone else including Robin has said to her for the past four years. In a flash, her palm meets the side of Graham's cheek, his face twisting to the side as a slap rings throughout the empty studio loud and clear. Graham's eyes widen as his own hand shoots to his stinging cheek. He gazes back at her, struck agape. Regina breathes heavily from the rush, taking a step backward to distance herself from her dance partner.

"I'm sorry," she states lowly, her voice husking as she takes in his incredibly wounded look. "I didn't-"

"Forget it," Graham hisses, slinging his own bag over his shoulder before brushing past her.

"Graham, no. Please," Regina states, starting after him as she is suddenly filled with sorrow and regret. But the man has already hastened towards the door and swiftly disappeared down the hallway, leaving her alone in that dreadfully empty studio.

* * *

"Graham seemed upset today," Tink states gently as she and Regina sit down at that small coffee shop for their lunch break. "If I didn't know any better, the man seemed close to tears whenever he was near you."

"I noticed," Regina says with a sigh, staring down emotionlessly into her Earl Grey tea.

"I'd hate to say this, but maybe you should try speaking to Gold," Tink suggests, "It's better to just say that you two aren't working out as a couple than to show a performance that looks insincere and fake."

"Are you saying my acting is fake?"

Tink sighs, "I'm saying that I could definitely tell that something was going on with you two as you rehearsed together. You both seemed more closed off this time, and in doing that it looked like you were trying to make up for it in dramatic gestures that were just off-putting and farce."

"That's quite the analysis you have right there."

"Tell me I'm wrong."

Regina shakes her head, groaning in exhaust. "No, you're right." A short silence ensues as she stirs her cup for the billionth time. "I slapped him."

Tink's eyes widen. "You what?", she breathes, "Why?"

"Because he was right," Regina sighs, "He told me that he liked me, just flat out told me. And when I didn't respond, he challenged me to look him in the eye and tell him that every little thing that has happened between us was all a farce, that I had no feelings towards him." She squeezes her eyes tightly. "I couldn't do it. But I didn't want to answer him that. So he then gave me the speech I've gotten so many times about distancing myself and pushing my emotions away. He said it would get to the point where everyone would give up, and I'd be alone." The brunette pauses, taking in a large breath of air. "He was right…"

"And you hit him because of that," Tink states almost disapprovingly.

"I was mad, okay?", Regina defends, "Mad at him, at myself, that he was right."

"Why couldn't you look him in the eye and tell him that you had no feelings for him, Regina?", Tink asks gently, "Do you have feelings for him or not?"

"Yes," Regina admits with a sigh before bowing her head, resting it in her hands, "But it's complicated. I mean, I like him but…"

"You are caught between him and Robin."

"Yes. Graham is kind and caring, warm. But Robin is just—he's like a breath of fresh air, a sanctuary, an escape." Regina smiles slightly. "When I'm with him, it's like everything becomes so much clearer. But Graham…he's a different kind of light." Regina sighs, lifting her head to gaze wearily at her best friend. "I don't know what to do. I feel awful about what I did to Graham. I want to make it right again."

"So you do care for his feelings. You do care."

"Of course I care. But I care for both of them."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Tink says with a shrug, "It's all right to care for both of them, but what you need to figure out is who you see more as having romantic potential, and who you see more as just a friend."

"I kissed both of them," Regina snorts.

"That doesn't mean anything Regina. You know that," Tink retorts, "Go with your gut. How do you feel? I know you distance yourself from the emotions of others towards you, but you also distance yourself from the emotions within you. This time, you need to open up to _you_. Dig internally and embrace those emotions, and from there, it will be easier to see clearer."

Regina gazes at her friend silently in wonder, shaking her head slowly. "How did you ever get like this?", she breathes, "And to think that even you question Booth's whimsical teachings."

Tink shrugs, smirking slightly. "Let's just say I've had my fair share of complications when it comes to boys," she says with a small furtive smirk. And Regina laughs.

* * *

"Graham I'm sorry about what I did earlier," Regina murmurs, forcing herself to swallow her pride even for just one second to deliver this heartfelt apology. She jogs slightly down the sidewalk, trying to keep up with his long stride.

"Mhmm," Graham hums, staring straight forward emotionlessly.

"Come on please," Regina groans, grabbing his arm to halt him to a stop, "Please talk to me."

"What is there to talk about? You made yourself perfectly clear."

"But I feel really badly in doing so."

"Regina, I'm not in the mood," Graham huffs, glancing away from her and back again as if he wants nothing more than to leave immediately.

"Well I am," Regina states, placing her hands on her hips, "I'm sorry. I really am. Look, I care about you. Don't even thing for one moment that I don't care about how you feel."

"Now I feel like you're just leading me on."

"No I'm not," Regina says, eyes wide as she squeezes his arm to keep him in place, "I'm not leading you on. And if there's anything I can do to make it up to you, to clear this air between us, I will gladly do it." She smiles slightly. "You're a great friend, Graham. I don't want to lose you because of my stubborn and selfish acts."

Graham sighs, staring into her with his cool grey gaze. "Dinner," he states, shaking his head, "At the Chinese restaurant down the road. You know which one I'm talking about." He smirks slightly.

Regina swallows slowly upon the realization that he has mentioned the exact place she had gone with Robin for their date. "Um, I was actually thinking more of Italian," she replies quickly, "I was never fond of Chinese."

Graham grins. "All right. Italian it is. I believe I know just the place. I'll text you the details."

"Sounds like a plan," Regina says, returning his smile somewhat genuinely. "As long as this is not a date," she clarifies.

Now it is Graham's turn to swallow thickly as he clears his throat, plastering on a quasi-genuine smile of his own. "It is not a date," he agrees.

"All right," Regina responds gently, "I'll see you then."

* * *

Two days go by like the speed of lightning. All of a sudden, it is the middle of another week. Wednesday night to be exact. And Regina finds herself once again lost in a fit of nerves. Even her footsteps on the pavement are shaky as she makes her way up to a quaint little Italian restaurant just on the outskirts of town. In her mind, she is racking her thoughts and emotions as to why she could possibly feel this way. Perhaps it's her not wanting to come across as seeming too forward and eager for a relationship. Yet, she doesn't want to hurt his feelings once more. It's a wavy line that tests both boundaries. However overall, Regina cannot help but feel the sense of guilt well up in her chest. Perhaps she feels as if she is almost betraying Robin in a way, even though they haven't explicitly stated that they were involved in some sort of relationship despite their recent first kiss. But then again, her mind is also one jumbled mess of conflicting thoughts; where guilt becomes mixed with nervousness mixed with fear mixed with pure raw anxiety. And quite frankly, the brunette has no idea what to do with any of them.

"Good evening, Regina," Graham greets, standing from his place at the corner table. It feels much like Robin's date; the dim lights, quieted atmosphere, the smell of rich inviting cuisine wafting through the entire place.

Regina smiles gently at the man across from her. Indeed she really must give him some credit. He does try so hard. "Hello Graham," she returns.

"You look beautiful tonight," Graham compliments, looking Regina's plain V-neck navy blue dress up and down; her makeup its usual dark, classy self and hair let down out of its normal bun.

Regina shakes her head, smirking downwards as she takes her seat. "There's no need."

"But you are," Graham insists, "You're a wonder, Regina. It's surprising not many men throw themselves at you."

Regina sighs. "Now you're just sucking up."

"You're very perceptive," Graham remarks.

"Yes, well. It's one of the only beneficial traits I've managed to inherit from my mother."

"Speaking of which-"

"What do you expect me to do?", Regina groans, "I have to go. I have no choice. She's made threats."

"Regina, what can she do? You're four thousand miles away."

"Graham, power knows no limits. I more than anyone else knows that," Regina counters.

"Then I'll go with you," Graham states firmly.

"What?", Regina breathes, eyes widening, "Don't be foolish. Your life is here. You've just managed to work your way all the way to the top in this company. Why throw it all away now?"

"Why do you think?", Graham asks as if the answer is the most obvious, "I love you."

Regina narrows her eyes. "You said you liked me."

"That was because you were too out of your mind at the time," Graham murmurs. Regina rolls her eyes. "But I can't deny it any longer. I've fallen in love with you," he whispers.

Regina's eyes soften as she gives the man a sympathetic look. "I'm a hard woman to love, Graham," she murmurs.

"But I'm up for the challenge," Graham replies, "I love you, Regina. I always have."

At his statement, Regina can't help but chuckle slightly. "I never knew you were this much of a hopeless romantic," she says.

"Well you learn new things everyday," Graham responds with a shrug, "And it's not just now. I've always offered you flowers after your performances. You just never truly noticed. You were too distracted."

"I just thought they were a game, you know, another one of your playful attempts to charm me and win another one of my sarcastic remarks."

"That too, but there was something so much more going on happening," Graham replies, "Now that you think of it, don't you feel it too?"

Regina sighs, closing her eyes as she thinks back to a Graham about a year ago, offering her a large bouquet of red roses after she'd finished performing her last dance as a soloist before she was to be promoted. She remembers his wide grey eyes, almost that of a child's, a hopeful child just waiting for a requited love. But all he received was a snicker and a mock kiss to the cheek.

"I was awful to you," Regina whispers, opening her eyes once more as she shakes her head.

"I have to admit I might have enjoyed it," Graham says, "I think that was because underneath it all, there was something going on, some—I guess what others might call—heat between us."

"Yes," Regina sighs, finding that she cannot deny it further. Yes, she has had previous affections for Graham, and does even still today. She always knew there were these underlying emotions; emotions never really brought to the light until now. Graham smiles softly, reaching across the table to take her hand and lace his fingers around hers.

"Why won't you give me a chance?", he asks gently, "Why won't you give _us_ a chance?" Regina closes her eyes. "Are you that afraid?"

"No," she whispers, opening them once more to gaze into his deep grey eyes, "I'm not afraid. Not anymore."

"Then why are you holding back?"

"I-", Regina begins, but can't seem to bring herself to say that she has someone else to whom she feels the same way.

"Let me take care of you," Graham murmurs, "We can work through this problem with your mother together. You don't have to go through this alone." His hand shifts in hers so that his thumb swipes the back of her hand in soothing circles.

"You're a friend, Graham," Regina says, "A good friend, a loyal one. I know that."

"But what does your heart tell you Regina-" However the man is suddenly interrupted by an approaching waitress.

"My heart tells me that I must order something to eat," Regina mutters before turning towards the woman who waits patiently with a pad and pen.

"Just think about it Regina," Graham begs, turning back towards her as he places his order. Regina sighs deeply, closing her eyes.

* * *

Such matters of this type of conversation have dropped as the couple decide to clear the air with other lighter topics as the dinner proceeds.

"That's because you're squeezing too tightly," Regina says with a laugh, "Geez it's almost as if you've never had a partnering class."

"I've had plenty," Graham retorts, "Would you rather I drop you in that lift?"

"No, but I'd also rather you not crack a rib. You don't realize how much your fingers dig into my sides."

"So how do you suggest I pick you up, _Your Majesty_?"

Regina rolls her eyes, pushing another bite of her spaghetti past her lips. "You put more of my weight onto the base of your palms rather than your fingers."

"Yes, I know that but-"

"Then why aren't you, genius?"

"Because your centerline of posture is shifted too far forward, sending a strain on my hands. I have no choice but to use my fingers."

"My centerline of posture is perfect," Regina states as she sits back in her chair with a raised brow.

"No it is not."

"Is to."

"Is not. You need to lean back more, lean back towards me more unfortunately."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm not that repulsive, Regina," Graham defends, smirking as he places his fork down with a soft clatter.

"Excuse me? You think I see you as repulsive?"

"You do say that I smell among other things."

Regina laughs, shrugging. "Well you do."

"Not as much as you."

"I wear perfume, thank you very much. Enough to drown out my sweaty smell as well as your odor, you stinky man."

"Wow," Graham gasps dramatically.

"Yes wow," Regina responds with a lifted brow.

"I can never win can I?", Graham sighs, shaking his head fondly.

"No you can't. So get used to it."

Graham laughs. "I don't think I ever will."

Regina smirks, shaking her head lightly as she finishes off the last of her plate. Just at that time, the waitress comes around with the check.

"Let me get this one," Regina says, picking up the bill.

Graham frowns. "No Regina, let me. It's my treat."

"No, I can handle it."

"I asked you out."

"I thought this wasn't a date," Regina states, "I thought this was just to clear the air."

"It was, but I still think I should pay."

"Then that would imply that you've taken me out."

"Yes but if you pay then, Regina, it will imply that you've taken _me_ out according to your theory."

Regina groans, rolling her eyes. "Fine. Separate checks."

"Now you're being ridiculous. Just let me handle it."

"No."

"Regina, you're exhaustingly stubborn."

"Yes I am. Now shut up and let me pay. Even if I pay, it's not a date because I say it isn't."

"Okay whatever you say," Graham huffs, raising his hands in defeat. Regina smirks sweetly at him before handing her credit card to the returning waitress. Three minutes later and they gather their belongings and head back out into the night. It's silent as they walk on by. Only the sounds of their footsteps against the pavement can be heard.

"I really enjoyed tonight, you know," Graham murmurs as they pass the studio.

Regina sighs, nodding softly. "So did I."

"Really?"

"Really."

"But I thought-"

"Just because I don't like you in the way you say you like me doesn't mean that I don't like spending time with you just as a friend."

"I think you do," Graham whispers, halting his steps. Regina frowns, stopping as well and turning to him, eyes narrowing. "Why are you fighting this?", he asks gently, reaching up to touch her cheek.

"It's complicated," Regina mutters, closing her eyes.

"But it doesn't have to be," Graham says, "I don't know what you're afraid of. I don't know why you're holding back. But just know that whatever it is, you don't have to worry. I just wish that for once, I could take whatever burden you may have off your back. I want to be here for you. I want to be that person for you to lean on."

"I know Graham," Regina whispers, "You truly are a great friend."

"But I want to me more Regina," Graham protests, "I want to be more to you, _for_ you. I want you to let me be more for you."

His words make her heart flutter in a way that both warms and terrifies her. Flashes of Robin's image dash across the back of her mind. Her heart is torn in both ways. She's trapped once more. Regina gazes up at him, her eyes wide with fear and angst, shining with held tears. Graham sighs softly, brushing her cheek with his thumb before bending down and capturing her lips in his. Regina stiffens at first, her heart skipping a beat. But after a moment, she cannot help but to relax into this kiss, seeking the solace that it offers in the here and now. Graham moans softly, pulling back to look into those wide chocolate eyes that stare back at him with the same held expression. It's an expression, a beautiful one, one of warmth and comfort superficially but laced with an undertone of desperateness in its very depths, a coldness and a guilt that clenches the brunette's heart like no other.

* * *

"So how did it go with Graham?", Tink asks as Regina walks through the door later that night.

"You're still awake," Regina comments, shedding her jacket and tossing it onto the couch.

"It's only midnight."

"Only midnight," the brunette echoes in a snort.

"So? What happened?"

"I kissed him," Regina sighs, shaking her head.

"Oh."

"Or more like he kissed me."

"But still. You let him."

"Yes. I think I gave him the wrong impression despite my rejection of his want to be more than just a friend." Regina groans, slouching onto the couch. "I feel so guilty."

"Because of Robin," Tink concludes.

"Yes."

"But you two were never explicitly together."

"I know, but still. It's—I don't know."

"Maybe it's because you feel more dedicated to him in the sense that you feel more of a romantic passion towards him. There's that potential there that maybe isn't there with Graham. Or you like Graham, but you like Robin more in the sense of a true romance."

"Maybe," Regina sighs, "I don't even know why I'm trying. I'm leaving in two months."

"You couldn't convince her?"

"No. She made her threat even worse."

"Oh Regina," Tink moans, "This is a disaster."

"Tell me about it," Regina mutters, "I just feel like curling up to sleep for a thousand and one years."

"So what are you going to do now?", Tink asks, "You know about these boys?"

"There's nothing I can do."

"Well you can't just keep seeing both at the same time."

"I'm not seeing Graham."

"Regina," Tink states seriously, "Despite what you think, you are seeing him."

Regina huffs in defeat and annoyance. "All right fine. I am. What do you suggest I do?"

"Tell Graham the truth."

"The truth about what?"

"That you are in love with someone else."

"I'm not in love with Robin."

"Yes you are."

"I mean I like him."

"You're head over heels for him and you know it," Tink presses, "You light up every time you mention him."

Regina feels heat slowly color her cheeks. "Damnit," she mumbles.

"Ha!", Tink exclaims, pointing a finger at her friend.

"Tink no-"

"There it is again!"

"There it isn't. I'm going to bed," Regina states, standing up quickly and heading towards the staircase.

"Okay but don't deny it," Tink calls after her.

"Why do people keep saying that to me?", Regina yells back.

"It's because it's true."

* * *

Regina grins, heading towards the seated man the afternoon of the next day amongst the shops at the very center of Covent Garden, close to where the studio is located. It's a beautiful day outside. The skies are clear. A cool, soft spring breeze ruffles Regina's raven locks, the sun making them shine under its bright light.

"It's so nice to see you dressed in casual wear," Robin comments as he sits back against the seat of a bench.

"As opposed to?"

"As opposed to your dance wear you sport all the time. You know, the leggings and sweatshirt jacket."

"Well I'll take that as a compliment," Regina says, smirking as she takes the ends of her black three-quarter length sleeved tunic daintily and spinning on her heel before coming to sit beside him. Robin laughs, leaning forward to press a kiss to her cheek.

"How are you love?", he asks cheerfully.

"I'm all right," Regina replies with a shrug, "Just taking life as it is one step at a time."

"That's all you can do," Robin responds with a firm nod, "Any word on your mother?"

"I did what you said, but she rebutted with an even worse threat."

"Really?"

"What was that?"

"That she'd pull her quarterly donations from the Royal Ballet company and conservatory."

"That's not good."

"Not at all."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Well I have no choice but to leave," Regina states with a sigh, the sudden pang of sadness settling deep in her stomach.

Even Robin himself looks suddenly dejected. "You must?"

"I must. The company needs her funds. They are a great part of what keeps them on their feet. I can't afford to let them down like that."

Robin sighs, swallowing slowly. "I really wish I could do more to help."

"Oh no," Regina says, turning towards him, "Please, you've helped enough."

"But I want to help more. It's not fair that you've been placed in this position."

"I know. I just wish it wouldn't have to be like this, having to leave everything I know and love to start up in a place that I no longer view as home anymore."

"I know," Robin sighs, reaching over to tuck a strand of loose hair behind the brunette's ear, "Should you need me though, I'm only a phone call away."

Regina smiles softly at him. "I just wish it didn't have to be like that," she confesses.

"Me neither," Robin whispers, returning her smile. He leans forward, pressing his lips to hers in a soft and lingering kiss that melts the brunette into a puddle right then and there. She will never tire of such a feeling.

"How's Roland?", Regina asks as he pulls away.

"Asking for you," Robin says with a chuckle, "Every morning now."

Regina laughs. "He's so cute."

"He is indeed. He's completely smitten with you," Robin says. But his expression suggests that his son is not only the one who is smitten with the fiery brunette. Regina chuckles. She could say the same thing for both man and son if she could. "Which reminds me," Robin adds abruptly, straightening himself, "Roland's birthday is a week from Friday. My friend Will is holding a birthday party for him at a bowling alley. It's just a little get together with a few friends of mine. Will you be free?"

"Friday after this?", Regina asks with a pensive frown, "I should be. Oh no I'm not! I have an important rehearsal that late afternoon."

"Oh," Robin says, looking slightly deflated, "It's all right. I understand. Roland will be so disappointed however."

"I know, I'm so sorry. When is it?"

"At four o'clock."

Regina's eyes widen. "Wait," she says slowly, holding up a pointer finger, "Maybe I can make it."

"Really?"

"I have just an hour break between my last pas rehearsal before our full run-through rehearsal at four. Maybe I can pop in quickly."

"Really, are you sure?", Robin asks carefully, "Are you sure you'll have enough time? The last thing I want is to make you late for your important rehearsal."

"No," Regina states with a frown, "I can do it. I can do both, I'm sure of it."

"All right," Robin says with a nod, "This will mean so much to my boy."

Regina smiles gently. "And to me."

"When is your performance again? I forget," Robin questions, pulling out his cellphone.

"It's in three weeks," Regina answers, "The very end of the month. Friday, the twenty-fifth is opening night."

"I better get the tickets," Robin says, typing in his phone, "How much are they?"

"The cheapest are twenty-five pound."

"Perfect. Hopefully I'll have that much by then."

Regina frowns. "Wait, what do you mean."

Robin freezes suddenly as if he's let a major secret suddenly slip. His expression drops suddenly to that of fear and uncertainty. "Remember when I said I'm in a rough spot?" Regina nods silently. "Well, I lost my job about a month ago. I've been living off Will's good graces. The truth is that Roland and I are just getting by. I'm literally scraping the ground for money now."

"Oh," Regina whispers, putting her fingers to her lips.

"Yes," Robin sighs.

"So the apartment you brought me to, the one I've visited…"

"Is Will's apartment."

"But when you said that Roland was at Will's that night you took me in-"

"Was somewhat of a lie," Robin answers shamefully, "I called Will and told him to stay at a friend's that night."

Regina's eyes widen. "No," she whispers.

"Regina I'm sorry," Robin says almost desperately, "I was afraid then. I didn't know what to do. I wanted you to trust and see me as not some poor homeless man off the streets."

"I wanted to trust you too," Regina snaps.

"Please, I'm trying to make ends meet here," Robin pleads, "When you came into my life quite unorthodoxly, you immediately made me forget, forget my troubles, forget my grief. You were—are—my second chance, my escape...from everything. I don't want to lose you because of a petty lie I told you."

"My trust is hard to earn," Regina states, "And when it's broken…"

"It's not honorable I know," Robin murmurs.

"No it's not."

"Trust me, I'm more mad at myself."

"Really? Why?"

"Because I live by a code Regina. To be truthful, righteous, and good. I try to live by that code every day of my life."

A small smile tugs at the corner of Regina's mouth whether she wishes or not. This man has a code? It most certainly is strangely not surprising in the least.

"What?", Robin inquires, tilting his head.

Regina shakes her head. "It's just—I've never heard of a man who lives by a certain code. It's…humbling."

"I try my best milady," Robin says gently. Regina chuckles, shaking her head again as she scoots closer to the man, taking his face in her hands and pressing another kiss to his lips softly.

"Just don't do it again," she whispers, "Don't lie to me again." How is it that she can bring herself to forgive this man so easily, while others not so much?

"I wouldn't dream of it," Robin answers with a smirk.

And she laughs, that is until she hears a small gasp from behind her. "Regina…"

Whirling around with wide eyes, Regina's mouth drops suddenly. Her heart beats wildly against her chest as her eyes suddenly take in the shocked expression of none other but Graham standing frozen, grey eyes wide and flashing.

* * *

 **Uh oh...stay tuned for more! Thank you all!**

 **Just a few noteworthy things. Normally, a rehearsal period for a certain professional production would extend for months, but I have to shorten that period for the sake of this story. Also, the financial troubles of the Royal Ballet Company and conservatory are solely for the purpose of this** **fan fiction. Thanks again!**


	8. Mending Pointe Shoes

**Chapter eight! I hope you enjoy this one! Thanks and please leave a comment! Love to hear what you all think!**

* * *

"Graham," Regina breathes. Her eyes widen as she quickly stands, letting go of Robin's hand as she does. She watches the apple of his throat bob up and down as he swallows. Stepping between the wide, grey-eyed man and the equally as perplexed blue-eyed, Regina gestures nervously to Robin whilst keeping her eyes on the grey. "Graham," she introduces, clearing her throat and trying to sound as nonchalant as possible, "This is Robin. Robin, this is Graham. He is also a dancer."

Robin blinks before nodding slowly, extending his hand towards a stiff Graham. "Pleasure," he greets with a small smile, however coated with confusion.

Graham swallows again before grasping the other man's hand, shaking it with uncertainty. "Sir," he returns unsteadily, visibly trying his best to keep his emotions at bay. Regina looks back and forth between the two men, witnessing this beyond awkward exchange with a heavy-leaden heart.

Robin glances at her, frowning slightly before turning back to Graham. "So you dance in the company with Regina?", he asks slowly.

"Um yes," Graham answers, clearing his throat and shifting his feet, "Been here three years. Just received the promotion to principal dancer."

"Well congratulations," Robin replies with a dutiful nod, "That's quite an accomplishment."

Graham offers a stiff smile. "Regina and I are to dance the lead roles together in our upcoming performance," he adds cooly. Regina's brow lifts as she turns and glances at her dance partner. It is quite clear as to what this man is insinuating.

"I wish you two the best of luck," Robin responds with a saddened-looking smile, "You deserve it."

"Thanks," Graham says, averting his eyes downward before turning to Regina, "We'd best be going. We have our evening rehearsal soon."

"That we do," Regina agrees, shaking her head, "I must change." Graham smiles stiffly, taking her hand into his and beginning to lead her away. Regina sighs deeply, glancing over her shoulder with uncertainty at Robin, whom she must leave, standing alone in front of that lonely street bench.

* * *

"Graham I-", Regina begins as Graham bursts through the back entrance of the studio, tugging her behind him.

"Save it Regina," Graham states curtly through gritted teeth.

"Please just listen to me."

"I don't need to listen to you. I've seen enough."

"It's not like that," Regina says, pulling him to a halt. Graham sighs, turning to face her, his grey eyes glistening.

"It's exactly like that. That's why you were holding back."

"Graham-"

"It all makes sense now."

"Graham please-"

"It's complicated. That's what you said."

"Because it's true," Regina insists, throwing her hands in the air, "Graham, I don't know what to do."

"I thought at least something was real," Graham whispers pitifully of himself.

"I told you that you were just a friend."

"But then we kissed…again."

"You kissed me," Regina retorts in annoyance.

"But you didn't refuse," Graham mutters, "If you really didn't love me, then you would've." He gazes with a pained expression on his face, straight into chocolate brown. "Why are you doing this to me?", he whispers.

"Don't," Regina says, putting her hands in front of her almost as if in defense.

It is quiet between them before Graham's eyes widen as everything suddenly begins to click in his mind. "It was all fake," he breathes, taking a step backward, "You distancing yourself, you making up this bullshit, this farce about fear and holding back. It was all a show…because of him."

"No! It wasn't like that!", Regina states firmly, "That was real. It all was real. I didn't—I still don't—know how to feel. I don't know what to feel."

"I see the way you looked at him," Graham murmurs, looking defeated, "I see the way you smiled at him, a smile that you've never ever shown for me. It's clear, Regina. You must know how you feel." Regina shakes her head fervently. "You love him."

"I don't know…"

"Yes you do. Stop running from this, Regina. You're only making it worse for everyone around you including that man there on the bench. You're playing us like fools."

"No I'm not."

"You may think you aren't," Graham snaps, "But you are. You need to sort your shit out Regina, because you're breaking hearts." And with that, he takes another step back, shaking his head before disappearing down the hallway.

* * *

Rehearsal commences. Regina powers her way through, projecting all of her anger into the dance of the evil black swan Odile. She grins hideously in character, dashing about the length of the studio as the others simply watch in awe. Smirking fiendishly at Graham who stands as Siegfried, she plays the role of the seductress; intent on luring him into her trap, intent on leading him on into thinking she was the one, that she was the one whom he loves. Regina cackles inwardly in attempts to make light of the irony, lifting her chin and executing those famous thirty-two fouetté pirouettes perfectly en pointe. However when she goes to finish her right pointe shoe gives out, twisting her ankle, and causing her to buckle to the side, landing heavily on her flank with a loud groan in pain.

"Stop, stop, stop," Madam French yells, halting the pianist. Immediately the tune silences. "Regina," the woman addresses, swiftly approaching the fallen dancer. She offers her hand in helping the brunette stand. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," Regina answers with a wince as she stands, bearing weight on her left foot, "I just think my pointe shoe is dead."

"I think it's more than that, dear," French states with a frown as she stoops down to gaze at the injured ankle. "You should probably sit this one out, rest and ice for a while."

Regina's eyes widen. "What? No," she replies adamantly, "I'm fine. Really."

"Regina, you really must please," Madam French persists, "Please sit." She leads the huffing brunette over to the side, gesturing for an ice pack to be brought. Regina hisses, wincing as she undoes her right pointe shoe, slips it off her foot, and applies the cold pack to her strained ankle. Gritting her teeth, she can feel the hot tears that spring from her eyes both in frustration and pain, impairing her sight and warping it into one watery mess. And through those tears, she glances up to see Graham's concerned gaze pouring into her shining chocolate eyes.

"Now where's the understudy?", French continues, heading back towards the center of the grand studio.

"Here Madam," a tall plucky brunette calls, rising from her seat at the side.

"Ah, good Ruby," Madam French states with a nod, "We will continue with you. From the beginning of the pas once more again please. Graham?" Graham nods, smiling stiffly at the brunette before taking his place.

The music sounds once more as Regina looks on, feeling far too sorry for herself. Tink glances at the somber brunette from across the room, offering a sympathetic smile. But the brunette can't bring herself to reciprocate as she remains silent through the rest of the three-hour rehearsal, quietly sulking in the back corner of the room.

* * *

"Regina I think you should go home for the rest of the evening," Madam French says gently as the rest of the company members file out of the studio.

"But I can't," Regina resists, "I have Odette's solo rehearsal in a half hour."

"I really don't think you are up to dancing on your ankle right now," French insists, "I'm sorry. I think you should go home, ice and rest, and then we can see how you feel tomorrow."

Regina huffs, shaking her head. "I can't believe this is happening," she mumbles, "Right before show time."

"You still have three weeks."

"But that isn't enough," Regina states, "I need to train. I can't just sit and watch, even if I'm hurting."

"But if you try and dance, you will hurt yourself more. You should know that Regina," French says.

"I know but I can't. I'm not losing my one chance to perform this lead. It means everything to me despite my initial reaction to it."

"I know what you are going through, Regina," Madam French says gently, seating herself beside the brunette, "More than anyone."

"You?"

"Of course. I broke my ankle once."

"I didn't know that," Regina says, lifting her head to peer at the ballet mistress.

"I did. And it was all because of a stress fracture that I insisted on dancing upon," French states with a nod.

"Oh…"

"Yes. See you can learn something very valuable from this. I don't want you to make the mistake I made. Regina, what I had was but a small crack. It seemed like nothing. I seemed all right. I convinced myself I was all right. But because I didn't take the time to listen to myself and what my body was truly saying to me, I made that crack even worse. And lost the lead to that performance." Regina closes her eyes, shaking her head. "I hear that you may be leaving us?", French adds gently, placing a hand on the brunette's shoulder.

Regina nods slowly. "My mother wants me to go back to New York…work for her company," she sniffs.

"I'm so sorry," Madam French says with a sigh, "I know how much life here means to you. It's a shame someone like your mother has to rip it away from you. Is that why you are so adamant on playing and perfecting this lead role?"

"Yes," Regina confesses, her voice barely audible, "This may be the last, the first and only chance I'll ever have to dance lead. I can't lose that."

"Then take care of yourself, Regina," French insists, "The most important thing you must do now is take care of yourself, both mind and body. Even before this mishap I see that way you struggle sometimes. And I do believe it has something to do with the mentality of it all. I don't want to pry but if there is something else other than your mother going on in your life, you need to heal that as well. It may be a small crack-"

"But it might grow bigger if I don't take care of it," Regina finishes with a sigh, gazing up at her instructor.

Madam French smiles gently, patting the brunette on the back. "Exactly, Regina. Exactly."

* * *

"They said I'd find you here," Robin states as he approaches the silent brunette who gazes quietly out the large rectangular warped windows of the sky bridge.

"You shouldn't be here," Regina says, continuing to stare out into the street.

"I needed to see you."

"About what, Robin?", Regina snaps, turning to gaze at him distantly. "Here to help make me feel even more miserable about myself?"

"No," Robin states gently, glancing down at her wrapped ankle for a moment before looking back into her eyes. "I see you've taken quite the fall."

"Blame the pointe shoes," Regina mutters miserably.

"The shoes that help you stand on your toes, the ones that offer you support."

"Broken…dead."

"I see. Can you fix new ones at least?"

"I have a new pair back at my apartment," Regina answers in monotone.

Robin sighs, stepping towards her whilst running a hand through his hair in angst. "I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about," Regina mumbles, "My whole life is crashing down as I know it."

"But it doesn't have to."

"It will."

"Not if you don't let it."

"That's where you're wrong. I'm out of control. I don't think I can."

"Of course you can. It's not the end of the world."

"It was the end of the world when you two had to meet."

Robin frowns. "That other man? Graham I believe his name was?"

"Yes," Regina replies shamefully. She then gazes up at Robin with a perplexed frown when she witnesses his soft demeanor.

"You're—you're not angry with me?"

"Why would I be?"

"Because I wasn't honest with you. I didn't tell you that I'd been seeing someone else. Because I'm playing the both of you, making you two think that…well…you know. The list goes on."

Robin sighs, shaking his head as he takes another step towards her. "No Regina," he whispers, "You were confused. It's understandable. You weren't leading us on."

"Graham thinks otherwise," Regina murmurs.

"I don't know him. But I know that I understand completely where you were—are coming from. It's confusing, a jumbled up mess. You were caught in a messy situation between the two of us, after a long time without love no less. I get that. Regina, I'm a firm believer of living truthfully, of following my heart. So I'll let you do the same. And should you find your heart leads to him, I will step out of the way. I'll let you go."

Regina sighs, shaking her head softly in awe at his boundless compassion and understanding. "No," she whispers, approaching him so that they stand directly in front of one another, their breaths upon their lips. "I choose you."

Robin's eyes widen and he shakes his head. "But-"

"No," Regina repeats softly, raising a finger to his lips, brushing their softness gently, "I choose you." Her smile is small, shy, but her intentions clear for the first time these two weeks. She closes her eyes, leaning forward to plant a soft kiss to his lips. Feeling him melt into her, Regina wraps her arms around him, placing her hands on his back and pressing him flush to her, holding him tightly. Their lips move in perfect synchronization, as if they are fashioned exclusively for one another. They melt into one.

When the couple parts, the two are breathless, smiling kindly at one another. His hand cups her face, his thumb swiping across the apple of her cheek. Regina bites her lips softly, leaning forward to nuzzle his nose with hers before pushing back but keeping their fingers interlocked.

"What is this place?", Robin asks, marveling at the twisted, spiraled structure of this unique sky bridge of wood and glass.

"The Bridge of Aspiration," Regina answers, gazing around with him, "I come here to think sometimes."

"To get away."

"Yes," Regina whispers before gazing back at Robin with her eyes glistening once more, "I would come here and talk to Daniel—you know—update him on how I was doing."

"I see…"

"Without him, I wouldn't be who I am today."

"How so?"

"He was the one who started this escape from reality, this need for dance…this aspiration."

 _"I can definitely see you as a ballerina, Regina," Daniel had said, "You have the grace and beauty of one." His voice, almost as distant as the somber patter of rain atop her umbrella, calls to her. So upon extending her hand, she reaches to the handle of the studio door, and pulls..._

 _Regina had not wanted to become a dancer at first. Her visions of a career laid far from that of the immense studios at one of the most prestigious professional ballet companies in the world. But lo and behold came the day when she met Daniel. And from that moment forward, her life had taken a drastic turn. Like herself, the young boy of sixteen had also been raised in the rough and tumble neighborhood, the streets of Harlem, New York. But one thing that made him unique from all the rest was his passion for dance, more specifically, street dancing. While all the other boys his age were playing kickball or playing pranks, or getting themselves into God knows what, Daniel spent his days street dancing in the alleys, outside the clubs, or on the street corners for extra cash. And boy was young fifteen-year-old Regina smitten. The first time she'd seen him dance on the corner of 125th Street, she was instantly taken not only by his gentle looks, but the way he moved about the space, body bouncing to the hip-hop beat in intricate yet precise movements. Three times she had passed the young boy before she finally built up the courage to walk up to him, put a five dollar bill in his can, and begin a conversation. It was from then on that the two had grown to become the best of friends._

 _Daniel took Regina everywhere, introducing the young girl to the world of dance; all of this, behind her mother's back. As the young brunette spent more and more time with him however, she slowly began to break herself from the squareness of her mother's conventional ways of thinking, the ways of thinking that ultimately trapped her, and delve deeper into the profound meaning of expressing oneself and one's emotions outwardly and freely through music and movement._

 _Regina had even tried herself to learn the art of street dancing. But she easily became frustrated when she found she could not understand and execute the moves as quickly as she'd liked. In addition, she found it hard to loosen up her body to move to the beat in the way that street dancers do as they bounce their torsos up and down to the rhythm of the music. Even to this day she can hear Daniel's voice echo in the background._

 _"You got it, Regina," he would encourage with a kind smile, "Try it again. Throw your heart into it and let the movement ripple through your body."_

 _When it came to the point that Regina had become too discouraged, Daniel then told her of other forms of dance she could try. Jazz, tap, contemporary dance, ballet. Ballet. That was one form of dance, with strangely, the boy had the greatest fascination. He showed Regina, through various videos on Youtube, how ballet dancers used the flowing movement of their bodies to captivate the audience. Showing the way they stood on their toes and floated about the stage effortlessly, carrying a sense of grace and dignity, Daniel opened this new door to Regina, intriguing her even further into this complex sect, that is ballet, under the great umbrella of dance. And with it all, a meaningful friendship turned into something more the night the two shared their first kiss whilst in the balcony seats during their viewing of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker._

 _This beloved art form was indeed what saved the young brunette. For after the death of her love, Regina threw all she had into the practice and perfection of ballet, much to her mother's dismay. She amazed her instructors, becoming a ballet prodigy at the late age of fifteen, something so difficult to achieve for one who started so late in her childhood in such a field. But the brunette took to it like duck to water. And it wasn't long before companies from all over the world called with offers of contracts and partnerships._

 _Regina became a sensation, but she never saw herself in such a way. It was all for him. It was all for Daniel; to keep his spirit alive, his love of dance and ballet alive. It was her way of escape, yes, but it was also a way of reuniting with her lost love, keeping him ever present in her mind and body._

"Wow," Robin breathes in awe, "Regina, that's incredible. He really did change your life."

Regina smiles gently at him. "Yes," she whispers, "I owe all of it to him."

"You most certainly do. And I thank him for that."

The brunette chuckles softly. "You are such a good man," she whispers, placing her hands on his chest. "So honorable."

"I try my best," Robin answers humbly, smirking softly.

"I believe you," she whispers, giggling softly, tucking a small strand of hair behind her ear.

"Um…you don't mind walking me home, do you?", Regina then asks with a shy smile after but a moment of silence.

* * *

As they approach the stairs of her apartment, he stoops down, swooping her into his arms in a bridal style.

"Robin!", Regina yelps, laughing aloud, "Put me down!"

"I think not, milady," Robin replies with a grin, "You're injured."

"I walked all the way here you silly," Regina laughs, struggling in his arms.

"Barely. You had to lean on me for half of it."

"Yes but-"

"Just be quiet for once and let me carry you across the threshold."

Regina glances down at Robin, raising a brow. But she allows him to do so nonetheless; the two bursting into the apartment in a fit of giggles. The man deposits her onto the couch, pressing a soft kiss to her lips as he hovers above her.

"Can we really do this?", Regina whispers, taking his face in both her hands.

"Only if you believe in it," Robin answers, nuzzling her nose with his, "Do you believe it?"

It takes no time for the brunette to close her eyes and nod fervently. "Yes I do believe in it," she whispers almost excitedly, "Take me away Robin." And she loses herself to the touch of his lips, and the soft caress of his hands; giving herself fully in body and spirit to the one she has chosen.

* * *

The night is peaceful; the crickets chirping outside the window, a warm sign of the coming summer. The echo of a bang resounds through the halls of the tiny flat however, followed by two other bangs.

"You are far too loud with that," Robin notes with a scrunch of his nose. The two sit cross-legged on the floor of Regina's room, gazing intently at a brand new pair of shining pointe shoes; the silky outer material shimmering under the overhead bedroom light. Regina had just finished sewing on elastics and ribbons. "Do you really have to bang them on the floor and against one another?", Robin asks.

"Yes I do," Regina states, "I have to break them in some before my feet do the rest, or else it will be painful."

"Is this really what you do with each new pair of pointe shoes? I feel like you're ruining them when you bend and bang them like that."

"Well yes," Regina replies with a nonchalant shrug, "You have to. It's not breaking them if you do it correctly. It's just loosening up the arch of the shoe—you know, making it more comfortable and easy to work with; softening up the box of the shoe with the banging."

Robin chuckles, "Whatever you say."

"Hey at least my methods are sane. I've heard of some strange ways of breaking in pointe shoes, trust me."

"Like what?"

"Like slamming them in the door, banging them with a hammer."

"Wow," Robin breathes with an incredulous shake of the head, "You ballerinas sure are violent."

"Only with our shoes," Regina states with a smirk, smacking him on the arm with the hard part, the box part of the shoe.

"Ow!", Robin yelps, rubbing at his arm, "What was that for?"

"For your ignorance."

"It's not my fault."

"You really do need to read up, if you are to date a dancer," Regina says.

"Not if I have you to explain me the ropes."

"But not all the time."

Robin laughs again, shaking his head. "So what is this box thing?", he asks, pointing to the boxy, square-shaped toe of the shoe. "Why is it so hard?"

"It's to support the toes when I stand up on them," Regina answers.

"Is that what broke when you twisted your ankle?"

Regina shakes her head. "No. It was the shank, you know the sole of the shoe." She points to the hardened leather underside of the shoe. "This is supposed to be somewhat hard too to support your foot when en pointe. But when it's dead, when it's soft, it tends to give out more easily and I guess my foot just slipped."

Robin nods. "How is your ankle by the way?"

Regina shrugs. "Just sore now, but bearable. I think just another ice before bed and some pain medication in the morning. Then I should be back to dancing tomorrow."

She watches as the man grins at her persistence, her conscientiousness, her strength. "You really are a strong woman, a strong-willed woman," Robin compliments, "You can get through anything."

Regina smiles shyly. "Not everything."

"Close to it."

"Almost everything then."

"Almost everything."

* * *

 **So Regina has mended the crack with Robin. Can she mend the crack with Graham? Will she ever be able to make he who is so desperate for her love understand? Coming up soon...stay tuned and thank you for reading! Don't forget to review and tell me what you all think!**

 **By the way, you all should look up the Bridge of Aspiration at the Royal Ballet...such a beautiful place to share a kiss ;)**


	9. Like a Feather

**Another long very long chapter with some cute filler material for you all! Please enjoy reading as Regina and Robin's relationship grows and becomes stronger than ever! Thanks so much for all your reviews! Can't wait to read more!**

* * *

"Yoghurt and granola?", Regina offers as she pads around the kitchen in her bare feet, collecting the necessary items to make just that. Robin nods, watching eagerly from the kitchen table as she moves about the space. Innocently, the brunette grabs two bowls, and a large quart container of plain Greek yoghurt and some fresh blueberries. She sets them down on the small center island before plodding over to the coffee machine.

"Coffee?", Regina asks with a gesture towards the appliance. Robin nods enthusiastically, never even once keeping his eyes off her. Regina too nods before starting up a new batch of coffee before turning the teakettle on for herself. Upon making her way back to where she has set out the ingredients for the yoghurt, she starts on preparing two bowls of yoghurt topped with granola and fresh fruit; all the while under the watchful eye that is of Robin.

"I like seeing you this domestic," Robin comments, breaking the calm silence between the two.

Regina chuckles, shaking her head as she dumps the granola on top of the yoghurt in both bowls. "What kind of a lady would I be otherwise?", she retorts, keeping her gaze focused on the task before her. "According to my mother."

Robin laughs. "Your mother does seem like a piece of work," he remarks with a shake of his head.

"Oh she is indeed," Regina says with a slight sigh. She grabs two spoons and places them on the table along with the filled bowls before taking her seat across from him. "Were you comfortable last night?", she asks, digging her spoon into her own bowl.

"Yes thank you," Robin replies, starting in on his breakfast as well, "Honestly, I must admit that was the best sleep I've had in years."

Regina flashes him another one of her shy smiles, biting the corner of her lower lip. "Yes…well…me too," she murmurs, "It was nice to be able to sleep so warmly for once. There was always a cold draft coming through my-"

"Regina!", a high pitched voice rings out into the open space of the apartment flat, followed by a heavy clomping down the stairs. Regina frowns, turning towards the sound to find Tink emerging in a disorderly state. "Regina," the voice whines, "I can't find my pink leotard, you know the one with the pretty velvet trim, and I've been looking everywhere and-" The blonde doesn't even finish her sentence as her eyes suddenly meet those of Robin's. Her mouth suddenly drops to the floor as all previous thought concerning the lost dance item have flown out the window.

"Tink this is Robin Locksley," Regina says with a slight roll of her eyes, "Robin, this is my friend Tink."

Robin clears his throat before standing and starting towards the blonde, now frozen on the spot, staring agape. He extends his hand, accompanied by a dazzling smile. "Pleasure," he greets.

Regina watches as her best friend shakes herself back to reality and grasps the hand tightly, shaking it firmly. "Oh—uh—pleasure," Tink stammers glancing behind Robin towards the blushing brunette. Regina can already see as excitement suddenly takes over the previous shock. "Well!", the blonde huffs, clapping her hands together, "This most certainly is a surprise and a half to say the least. So you're Regina's new _boyfriend_ I've been hearing about so long. I've been wanting to meet you for a very long time. It's about time I must say."

Regina slaps a palm to her forehead a little more loudly than intended, causing both to turn and gaze peculiarly at her. Just when the brunette hadn't thought she couldn't get any redder, she suddenly feels as if she turns a deep shade of crimson. She blinks rapidly, straightening herself before glaring past Robin at the ecstatic blonde who can hardly contain her joy.

"I didn't know you would have company!", Tink continues in a squeaky voice.

"Well you would know if you weren't out gallivanting with Killian and doing God knows what nowadays all hours of the night."

"We had fun!", Tink protests with an exaggerated huff before smiling so widely the sun would have to run and hide. "As I'm _sure_ you two did too."

Regina groans, wanting nothing more than to curl up in a tight ball. "Okay, okay, that's enough," she states quickly, waving her hand at Tink in a way to dismiss her. "And check in my laundry. Your stuff always gets magically thrown in there somehow," she adds in desperate attempts to sway the conversation from her embarrassment.

"Hey!", Tink exclaims, "You know just how _awful_ I am at doing laundry." She giggles before twirling on her heel. "Pleasure to meet you again Robin," she calls over her shoulder before skipping out of the room.

"Lord have mercy on my soul," Regina murmurs, "I've never seen her so-" She shakes her head fervently. "-She must still be high from whatever she was on last night. That has to be it."

Robin laughs. "It's all right. If you ever get the pleasure to meet Will, the same will happen to me, or worse. Don't worry at all."

Regina chuckles nervously. "Yes well, that just shows how much my best friend loves me. Come on, let's eat. I need to head to warmup class for nine."

* * *

"Have a happy Friday," Robin bids, placing a hand on the small of Regina's back as he walks her up to the front door of the studio. "Do you have everything you need?"

Regina smirks at him, shaking her head fondly at his kind concern. "I've done this before a few times."

"I know," he replies, smirking widely.

"I got this," Regina whispers.

"Yes you do," Robin agrees, meeting her lips in a soft peck. "I'll see you at lunch." And with that, the brunette enters into the studio, feeling as light as a feather.

Her ankle is still sore, but danceable. Surprisingly, it is the least of her worries. Because for the first time ever, she finds it hard to concentrate for an entirely different reason than before. All through barre, Regina finds herself dreaming over and over about the night she shared with Robin not twenty-four hours ago. Whilst getting lost in her reverie over and over again, she finds she has to follow others in order to execute the steps of each and every combination given.

All the while, she can't even seem to bother herself with Graham who attempts to approach her. No. Nothing will tarnish her happy mood today. Nothing. She waves him off, keen on establishing only a working-partner relationship with the man once she must have eye to eye contact with him when rehearsing their pas de deux later that morning. When Graham moves to speak to her after rehearsal, Regina dodges him quickly, shaking her head at him before heading to gather her things. After all, it was he who walked away from her the last time. Therefore it isn't fair that he should be the one to come crawling back.

* * *

By lunchtime, Regina is just about to head out the front door of the studio and down the street to meet with Robin when suddenly the man catches her attention, standing just around the corner of the building.

"You know we agreed to meet at our regular place for coffee," the brunette states, smirking as she approaches the man poised against the brick building.

"I know," Robin says with a shrug, "But I figured I couldn't wait any longer."

"The coffee shop is literally a block away," Regina retorts, crossing her arms, "Come on. What's the method to your madness?"

"Well, I just figured I've heard and read just how beautiful a dancer you are, but never had the chance to see it myself."

Regina smirks. "You know that's not the kind of research I meant when I told you that you must look up more on dance. Aren't you going to do that anyway? In three weeks?"

Robin shakes his head. "I can't wait until _Swan Lake_. You know that."

"I'm sensing you are a very impatient man."

"As you are a very impatient woman."

"Excuse me, but I am very patient," Regina defends, her smirk growing.

"Haha sure," Robin replies with a cute and charming smile.

Regina rolls her eyes. "So what, you just were trying to break into the studio?", she asks, gesturing towards the front door.

"Well no," Robin answers, "I went to the front desk and asked if I could watch a rehearsal, but apparently I couldn't."

"Well of course not, silly," Regina laughs, "These shows are highly copyrighted. They are afraid you'll take videos or something. But more importantly, you could go off and tell other people what happens in the show and spoil it all. It's private."

"Forgive me," Robin says with a huff that proves to be quite endearing. The two continue to stand and stare at one another before Regina is heaving a large sigh in defeat. She rolls her eyes again before taking his hand.

"Come on," she says, beginning to tug the man towards the back entrance of the building.

"Where are we going?"

"I can't believe I'm doing this for you," Regina murmurs, "You owe me big."

"You don't mean-"

"Yes I do mean, now hush up and walk." The brunette pulls the man through the back door, swiftly heading down the corridors. She barely allows the man to look around and marvel at the space before she is pulling him left, down another long corridor and into a small empty studio. Once inside, she shuts the door.

"Wow," Robin breathes, gazing around at the pristine white walls of the interior, and the built-in wooden barres that extend three quarters across the length of the room. At the front lies a large wall-to-wall mirror that is necessary for a dancer. "So this is where you spend your days."

"Cozy isn't it?", Regina teases, heading towards the stereo to the left of the front of the room and plugging her Ipod into the dock.

"Are you going to dance for me?", Robin asks with the tilt of his head, his face lighting up with another dazzling, excited smile.

"What does it look like?", Regina returns with a flirtatious shrug. Robin laughs. Soon, the sound of a neoclassical instrumental piece flows from the surrounding speakers, filling the room with its dark, melancholy melody of the cello and piano combined. Satisfied with the adjustment of the volume on the speakers, Regina sheds her jacket, socks, and shoes before making her way proudly to the center of the studio whilst Robin stands up at the front. "This is just a little something I've been working on privately, something I've choreographed myself," Regina explains, "It's a contemporary modern piece of dance, so no ballet or pointe shoes. But I've wanted to perfect it and was hoping I'd be able to perform it in a dance concert next year, but now I'm not sure if I'll be given the chance." She smiles shyly. "You're the first to see it."

And with that, she takes her position and begins. Her body flows gracefully to the mournful ballad. Within seconds, she embodies the very desperate-filled nature of the song, her face suddenly wrought with raw emotion and angst to compliment the very hopelessness that which the vocals suddenly add.

 _"Through dark and light I fight to be._

 _So close._

 _Shadows and lights mask you from me…"_

Her arms and legs move in perfect integration, working to portray her emotion. Regina glides fluently across the floor, her movement clear and crisp; her body mimicking the slow drawl of rhythm and melody. Her movement is perfectly executed, effortless and alive despite the dreary tone of the piece. It's beautiful choreography, one that allows her body to express the passion and feeling that pours from the very core of her soul.

When the music finishes, it takes her a moment to recover from the emotions that which she has fully immersed herself during such a piece. It was as if Robin hadn't been present. But upon gazing into his astounded expression, Regina brings herself to smile softly, walking towards him slowly. The man stands frozen, his back against the mirror, blue eyes wide; completely and utterly in awe at what he has just witnessed.

"Regina," he breathes, shaking himself from the trance, "You dance—your dancing—it's breathtaking…Just the way you capture those emotions—it's incredible." Regina can only smile humbly, gazing down in her shyness and modesty as she tucks a strand of hair that has come loose from her bun behind her ear. "It's absolutely mesmerizing…"

"I can tell," Regina whispers, avoiding all eye contact with the man in front of her.

"Hey," Robin murmurs, shaking his head as he touches a finger to her chin, lifting it so that she meets his deep blue eyes. "Don't be ashamed. It was beautiful. You're so beautiful."

Regina gazes quietly back at him, her eyes shining. "When Daniel died, I began working on this piece." She sighs an unsteady breath, shaking her head softly. "I drew from the darkness that I felt was trapping my body, circling around my throat, choking me. I was in such a dark head space…"

"But you overcame it. You won."

"Because I found you," Regina states with a small smile.

To this Robin smiles gently, leaning forward to press a soft kiss to her lips. To this Regina melts, moving her lips with his in perfect time, and pressing her body up against his, wanting nothing more but to feel him, to have him, to be a part of him as he has become so much a part of her. And perhaps in this moment, comes the inspiration for another piece of choreography, one that is lighter, more promising, more hopeful than the last.

* * *

It's a half hour later when Regina finally pushes Robin out the back door, hastily kissing him goodbye before rushing to her one o'clock run-through rehearsal of the first act in _Swan Lake_. She has to restrain herself from grand jeté-ing into the studio, feeling even more of the Robin Locksley Effect. Of course, everyone around her gives her strange looks as she struggles to tamper her brilliant grin, but Regina can't bring herself to care.

"Someone's smitten," Tink whispers to her as she sets her belongings down at the side.

"Go away," Regina states, waving her friend away, "I'm not talking to you."

"Is it because I embarrassed you this morning?"

"Um, yes!", Regina hisses, narrowing her eyes at the blonde.

Tink laughs, rolling her eyes. "Good. Because you need it at least once if you are to be in love. That's all part of it." She slaps the brunette on the back. "Now go kill it being Odette."

Regina smirks at her friend, shaking her head endearingly before making her way towards the center of the studio; pointe shoes tied and ready to go.

The interaction with Graham does unfortunately put a damper on her mood however. But Regina manages to manage as she dances her part with him, doing her best to act accordingly to the character she is to portray despite the nasty air between the two. And despite the sour vibe, Regina is impressed at how much Graham has improved his lifts and the two are strangely more in sync than they ever were before. However this just goes to show just how eager the two are to throw their frustrated emotions into the dance that which they are to execute. Nevertheless, the both of them dance beautifully, nailing each and every step to the tee and rehearsing the best they've had this far. The two float across the floor effortlessly in perfect rhythmic synchronization, dominating the studio like they would the stage, and impressing their peers as well as the instructors who sit in to watch the spectacle. And by the end of this rehearsal, their pas combined with all of the other smaller sects that include the corps de ballet and other soloists, _Act One_ of _Swan Lake_ is finally coming together.

* * *

"I saw you with him," Graham murmurs as dancers begin to file out of the studio. Regina who had been trying to hustle out as fast as she could, was woefully trapped by the sea of people that flooded the doors to the hallway.

She turns her head, sighing softly as she looks into his cool grey gaze. "So?", she bites.

"You brought him into the studio," Graham states.

"So now you're stalking me?"

"No, I was going to use that space during the break to practice my solo," Graham informs in a monotone. "You two were in it."

Regina shakes her head. "Well I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Regina, you know you're not allowed to bring people back here," Graham says coldly.

"You're just saying that because you're jealous of Robin."

"No I'm not, Regina," Graham resists, "It's policy."

"And what are you going to do about it?", Regina challenges, crossing her arms in front of her chest, "Are you going to turn me in?"

"I would."

"You wouldn't," Regina hisses, "You wouldn't do that."

"And why wouldn't I?"

"You're a weak man," Regina sneers, curling her lip at him, "Graham you are a weak, _weak_ man and I feel sorry for you. I really do. You need to stop clinging to me and grow a pair and learn a lesson because you know what? If you do this to me, you will do this to any other woman should you ever find one. You will push her away just as you have pushed me away. And in the end, it is _you_ who will be alone. Not me."

And with that, she turns on her heel, storms towards her belongings, picks up her bag, slings it over her shoulder, and stalks out of the studio; not even bothering to take her pointe shoes off.

* * *

It is around eight at night when Regina, after completing the dishes and picking up other odds and ends around the flat, finally finds herself relaxing on the couch in front of the television just at the start at the hour program. There's nothing terribly interesting about this certain sitcom, so upon finding nothing better to do, the brunette resorts to _Jane Eyre_ , using the television as background noise. It's a nice, quiet, and peaceful Friday night all to herself. And Regina wouldn't have it any other way, that is until her phone rings with a rather unwanted caller ID.

"Mother I can't talk right now, I'm busy," Regina sighs, knowing she had to have answered the phone, lest she be subject to thirty missed calls within the next hour.

"Regina dear," Cora greets in that sickly sweet tone, "I noticed you haven't made moves on sealing the deal for the apartment I emailed to you. What gives?"

"Nothing, Mother," Regina responds in a huff, "I've been busy."

"Busy with what, may I ask?"

"Rehearsals. You do know I have a show coming up before all of this happens."

"Indeed, but I do think that you are avoiding this."

"What would the point be in avoiding this? You already threatened me…twice."

"True, and I would hate to go through on my word should you not do this. Don't you realize that I'm doing you a favor? I'm _helping_ you."

"Mother I don't need your help."

"I told you before. You don't see it now, but you will."

"I don't believe you."

"Oh well you should. Because I know what's best Regina. And I know for certain that your dancing, and your new boyfriend are most absolutely not in your best interest."

"Don't talk about him," Regina snaps.

"Don't talk to me like that, Regina," Cora shoots back, "You and I both know that he is the real, true reason as to why you are holding back. Of course I may be able to force you away from dance, but from love-" Cora sneers. "-Well that is an entirely different situation for you."

"I only just met him," Regina tries to reason.

"Don't you think I know my own daughter? You and your fantasies, believing in love at first sight?"

"It most certainly was not love at first sight," Regina mutters.

"Despite whatever you call it, Regina," Cora continues, "He is not good for you in all sense."

Regina frowns into her cellphone. "What do you mean?", she questions slowly.

"Aside from the fact that this low-life is holding you back, this man won't work in your best interest. Trust me dear. He's not who he seems to be."

Regina grits her teeth, clenching her jaw. "You're lying," she growls, "You don't know him."

"I know about everything and everyone concerning my daughter. You should know that by now. Please trust me when I say this that I'm doing all of this for you. Have faith in me for once. Have I not once lied to you?"

Regina inhales deeply, gazing around the room with uncertainty. Immediately, she thinks back to the time when she found out that Robin had lied to her about the apartment, about his identity as a man who lost his job and his home. But certainly the man had to do what he had to do. Honestly if Regina was in the same place as he, she most certainly would be as forthcoming about such, truthfully, embarrassing subjects. However now that her mother mentioned this type of…warning…she can't help but feel as if Robin isn't telling the whole truth. Maybe…No. Regina shakes her head fervently. She will _not_ let her mother's words twist and turn her thoughts and manipulate her into thinking Robin is something he is not. She's seen him. She has seen the way he is so kind and compassion towards her, towards his own son. It can't all be a farce.

"No," Regina sighs, "You haven't lied to me. But that doesn't mean I believe you. I don't. Leave Robin alone. He has nothing to do with this."

"He has everything to do with this, Regina, and if you don't see it now, you will in the future. And I fear that with it, there will come the time where a very hard lesson must be learnt. Love is not only weakness. But it is blindness. Remember that."

Regina groans, tossing her phone to the side before shifting her focus back towards her book, forcing herself to keep from thinking about what her mother had said about Robin too much. Not ten minutes later, her phone begins to ring again.

"Hello?", Regina answers with another groan of annoyance.

"Regina please I need to-" comes the voice of Graham. But the brunette hangs up frustratedly, slamming her phone back down beside her and continues on reading.

Not five minutes later, her phone rings again and Regina throws her hands up in the air. "Oh my god, what is this?", she curses aloud, "Annoy the fuck out of Regina with phone calls day?" She answers her phone without checking the caller ID, assuming it is Graham again. "Look, I am not in the mood to talk so if you don't mind hanging up, it would be much-"

"Regina, it's me," a more soothing, gentle voice echoes from the other end of the line.

Immediately Regina's demeanor softens. "Oh, Robin," she declares guiltily, "Sorry I just…"

"It's all right," Robin answers, "Having a bad night?"

"I wasn't until my mother called," Regina sighs exasperatedly.

"Really? What did she say?"

"Nothing," Regina murmurs, shaking her head, "Nothing of importance. She's just pushing my buttons as usual."

"She won't budge?"

"Nope. She has an apartment for me and everything."

The brunette listens as the man heaves a long sigh. "Look, how about I come over tonight and we can do something to cheer you up?"

Regina nod, smiling a little at the offer. How could she ever resist? "Sure I suppose," she answers, standing from the couch.

"Great. I'll be there in twenty."

"No problem. Take your time."

And she rushes out of the room to ready herself for his arrival.

* * *

"Oh my—what—what are these?", Regina exclaims, eyes widening as she has found herself to open her front door to none but a giant pot of purple orchids and a pair of legs underneath.

"Too much?", Robin asks, his dazzling smile peeking around the flowers.

"No, no," Regina declares, taking the pot into her hands, "They're beautiful. What's the occasion?"

"The occasion is to cheer you up, divert your attention to the prettier things in life," comes the innocent answer.

Regina laughs. "Can you get any sappier?"

"Probably not," Robin chuckles. Regina shakes her head, smiling endearingly at him as she pushes the door closed with her foot and heads towards the windowsill in the living room.

"You know purple is one of my two most favorite colors," Regina states, placing the pot of orchids on the sill and stepping back to admire them sitting there in the soft glow of moonlight.

"And what is the other?"

"Black," Regina says as she turns towards Robin, "Black is my color."

"I wouldn't have been able to guess," Robin teases.

"What's yours?"

"Green," Robin states, "I like a nice forest-y green."

Regina nods, looking the man up and down. "You do wear a lot of green," she states, looking over his dark green t-shirt underneath a down jacket of the same color and a maroon scarf.

"You wear the same kinds of clothing all the time practically."

"Well, not much else I have," Robin dismisses with a shrug, "Is that a bad thing?"

"Only if you don't smell."

Robin laughs. "Trust me milady, I don't. Or at least I hope not."

Regina narrows her eyes, stalking towards the man before leaning close to him, hands on her hips. The tip of her nose brushes his neck. "You smell like forest."

Robin shrugs. "It's a woodsy type of cologne."

Regina's eyes widen as she lifts a brow, stepping back and rocking from one foot to another. " _Cologne_?"

"It's old. Something my wife gave to me," Robin replies with a small smile, "It was her favorite scent."

Regina nods respectfully. "She chose well."

"That she did."

Robin offers a gentle smile before heading for the couch, plopping down on one of its plush cushions. Regina watches quietly as he takes a look around before suddenly eyeing her book that lays open beside him.

" _Jane Eyre_ I see," Robin declares, picking it up.

"A favorite of mine," Regina explains with a shrug.

Robin flips through it quickly before placing it back where it was. "I'm not much of a reader."

"You don't strike me as one."

"Let me guess," Robin says, "It is another one of your tactics of escaping?" He glances at Regina with a lift of his brow.

Regina shrugs nonchalantly. "Perhaps."

Robin sighs, shaking his head before standing back up again. He walks towards the brunette and takes her hand into his. "Come on," he says, abruptly pulling Regina towards the door.

"Wh—what?", Regina stammers, teetering after him, "Come on where?"

"Out."

"Out? Out where?", Regina demands as she watches the man lets loose of her hand to open the door and slip outside. "Robin wait!", she exclaims as she hurriedly grabs her coat and hastens after him.

"Excuse me!", Regina calls, hurrying after Robin who chuckles lowly as he continues to follow the dim haze of the streetlights. "You're lucky I'm not in my pajamas," Regina huffs, jogging up next to him. "Where are we going?"

Robin looks over at her and smirks cutely but mischievously, taking her hand into his once more. "You'll see," he states simply. Regina frowns, rushing after Robin as he flies down the street towards the center of Covent Garden.

"Seriously, can you just tell me-"

"Taxi!", Robin calls out, holding his hand into the busy street as a taxi rolls by, pulling over to the side in front of the couple.

"Robin…"

"Just get in," he says, pushing her playfully towards the car.

"You're not kidnapping me are you?", Regina huffs, sliding into the backseat.

"Perhaps," Robin teases as he gets in beside her. "To Westminster Bridge please," he commands the driver who nods before taking off and merging back into the flow of traffic. He glances over at the perplexed brunette, smirking deviously.

"Why are we headed there?", Regina asks with a frown.

"I just figured it is a calming place to be. I want to show you something," Robin answers. Regina sighs, sitting back in the seat.

* * *

A fifteen minutes later, they arrive, the cab letting both of them off just before the bridge. Robin grins at Regina, taking her hand once more and leading her out onto the footbridge.

The night is another calm and peaceful one as they walk towards the middle of the bridge. The moonlight shines its soft glow down upon the couple as they stride forward hand in hand. Below them are the rippling waters of the River Thames, sparkling under the light of the moon and stars. There's not a cloud in the sky. A soft, gentle breeze ruffles both Regina and Robin's hair and brushes against their cheeks like a soft caress. All around are the flickering lights of the magnificent towers of London that stand tall and proud over the city.

"It's beautiful here," Regina comments, gazing out at the city horizon.

"That it is," Robin agrees.

"I don't come here much."

"Neither do I. But tonight is a special one."

Regina furrows her brow, turning towards the gentle blue-eyed man. "How so?"

Robin shrugs simply. "You'll see," he replies cryptically before sneaking an arm around the brunette's waist, pulling her flush to his side. Regina sighs softly, breathing in deeply as she inhales his scent, resting her cheek on his shoulder as she continues to start out at the flickering lights of the city.

"It's so peaceful," Regina murmurs, closing her eyes for a moment.

"That's why I wanted to take you here," Robin answers, "Your life seems to be none but chaos at the moment."

"Tell me about it," Regina says, "It's all piling up…"

"Becoming too much," Robin finishes.

"Exactly."

Robin sighs softly, "I think part of it is that you don't let yourself relax."

"But I do," Regina insists, "Like tonight, that was my fullest intent, that is until I receive calls from my mother and Graham."

Robin nods. "Graham…he's…"

"Not too thrilled about this new arrangement but it's all right. He'll get over it," Regina shrugs, taking her cheek off Robin's shoulder to face towards him; keeping both her arms wrapped around his waist.

"I feel bad…"

"Oh please don't," Regina states, shaking her head, "Don't feel bad for him. Honestly, I've been trying to push him away for the longest time."

"But you did have feelings for him."

Regina closes her eyes, sighing once more. "I did but…"

"It's all right, Regina."

"I know. It's just. Yes, I may have had some affection towards him, but none like what I've felt when you arrived. Between Graham and I was just playful, friendly banter, maybe a bit of drama here and there. I realize that now because once I met you, you awakened a deeper level of emotion that had long laid dormant. You awakened me." Regina opens her eyes, lifting a hand to cup Robin's face lovingly. She allows herself to be lost forever in his gaze. "It was that emotion, that love that forever laid buried under years upon years of darkness. After losing the one person I had loved, had ever loved, I convinced myself I would never love again, and that no one would ever love me. I was afraid." She shakes her head softly. "But I'm not anymore. I love you Robin," she whispers softly, as if like a prayer, "I love you."

Robin looks upon her, adoration overflowing in his gaze and overcoming his features. His eyes shine like a billion crystals and show Regina's vulnerable expression and demeanor so clearly in their orbs. "I love you too, Regina," Robin breathes, a gentle murmuring as he lifts his hand to her cheek to mirror her gesture.

Regina smiles gently, leaning forward to press a passionate kiss to his lips, holding him closer than she'd ever done before. And in that moment, she feels her heart slowly begin to open, pouring out the love she has kept tucked away for all these years; pouring past her plump and luscious lips into the man next to her, filling the both of them with a sense of warmth and light.

The two only pull away from each other at the sudden sound of fireworks bursting through the still night air. Regina gasps softly as she gazes upward over the water to find an array of red, silver, and blue sparks shooting through the air, exploding brightly outward against the navy blue sky, at the center of the canal. Before she knows it, a widened smile spreads across her features as Regina glances at Robin and back up at the display.

"You knew," she breathes, grinning delightedly at the sky.

"Of course," Robin answers, beaming proudly up at the fireworks whose explosion of a sound reverberates throughout their bodies. Regina laughs happily, clapping her hands together as the introduction concludes. She turns to Robin, beaming widely as she takes his face once more and connects their lips in another profound, passionate kiss; adoration exploding from the epicenter of her heart like a firework. He _is_ exactly who she thinks he is. Sweet, gentle, thoughtful, kind, loving, passionate.

The couple gazes back up at the sky as more fireworks burst and crackle through the air. Their arms are around each other. Regina's head rests on Robin's shoulder as she stares gleefully into the bright lights of the display. She has never felt so happy. She has never felt so peaceful as she does in this moment; this moment that which she shall cherish deeply in her very heart of hearts for a very, very long time.

* * *

 **Thanks all for reading! I hope you liked it! I'd like to credit a few people.**

 **Firstly, I'll credit Ólafur Arnalds and Arnór Dan, whose music and lyrics I have used as the song to which Regina dances for Robin. (Which by the way, please by all means check it out on Youtube. It's an incredible song called _So Close_ and you'll really understand the emotion Regina had felt and expressed.) Also, if I may, the whole scene was drawn from inspiration I received from a piece I once danced in, to that same song.**

 **Lastly, I'd like to credit the one and only thequeenregina, my best bestie, for giving me the idea of Robin taking Regina to see the fireworks over the Westminster Bridge. Thanks so much love! Your idea was practically perfect! Also I believe it was her idea to pair Tink with Killian. Good call! ;)**


	10. His Mark

**Please excuse the long wait, it's been a crazy week of midterms and an even crazier weekend :p This chapter is a little shorter, but quite heavy in content as it is the sort of the buildup for the next chapter that is to arrive very soon. Please enjoy and tell me what you think!**

* * *

The apartment is silent, vacant; having both its occupants absent with their respective significant others. Not a stirring happens in this one such apartment for several hours as it stands peacefully quiet amongst the buildings in the very heart of this sparkling city, that is until suddenly a crash followed by the sounds of hot steamy, heaving breaths fill the silent air. Regina and Robin burst through the doors; Regina walking into the room backwards as Robin takes control to walk forward. Their lips never leave one another, as the temperature grows hotter by the second. The door slams closed at the kick of Robin's foot.

"Where's the fucking couch?", Regina moans, entangling her hands in his hair as he continues to walk her backward. She can almost swear her living room isn't that large, however the desire pounds incessantly through her chest; desire that needs to be fulfilled at this very moment.

"It's your place, milady, not mine," Robin responds breathlessly. He keeps walking until Regina's legs hit the plush cushions behind her. Falling down upon the couch with a thump, she takes him down with her, as he climbs eagerly on top. In one swift movement, Regina's jacket falls to the floor with a soft thud, leaving behind but a plain red tank top and bra underneath. Regina too reaches up, working to push the lapels of Robin's jacket apart and slide the material off his shoulders to reveal tight arm muscles underneath a thin, forest green t-shirt. Breathing heavily, the man ducks down for another searing kiss as his fingers graze the hook and zipper on Regina's jeans. It takes him but a moment to undo it all and slide the material off her rear as the brunette willingly lifts her hips to assist.

"Wait, I want your shirt off," Regina moans, running her hands up and down Robin's biceps. Moving those hands to his back, she grasps the clothing, pulling upwards with ease and sliding it over his head. Robin smirks, ducking down once more to devour the side of Regina's neck kissing and nipping and biting softly much to the brunette's pleasure. She tilts her head to the side and allows her eyes to flutter closed as she savors the attention.

"Your turn then," Robin whispers, lifting his head and thereafter removing Regina's tank top with her help to reveal a lacy black push-up bra underneath. The brunette smirks as the man looks down at the prominent swells upon her chest, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he swallows. It's as if the man hasn't already seen this spectacle before.

"I know," Regina states huskily as she grabs the back of his neck, urging him down towards her lips for yet another kiss.

"Oh Regina," Robin murmurs, tracing his fingers along the soft skin of her cheek, "So beautiful." He bows his head, placing a soft kiss on the underside of Regina's chin before traveling down her center line to the little valley between the great swells of her breasts, breathing in the scent of sweat and apple perfume. The scent of her. Regina breathes heavily, puffing her chest towards him as she feels his tongue run between her breasts, gathering up any moisture and saltiness that could have collected there.

Robin takes his time, lifting his head to nip Regina's neck, sucking and pulling at the skin softly as his hands, with a mind of their own, descend to the lower half of her body. Eagerly, they tear through her underwear before brushing her sex while the man eagerly looks on at the woman's reaction. The brunette gasps softly, arching her back abruptly into him as she presses her head back against the cushion of the couch. Her eyes roll back towards the ceiling as red lips part. Sparks begin to shoot as Robin slowly begins to rub at Regina's throbbing center, growing faster and faster, working the brunette up into a frenzy where he brings her to a writhing, squirming, mewling mess.

"Oh Robin!", Regina yells, "Please…harder!" And at her request, Robin rubs harder as he steals the next cry into his own mouth; kissing her passionately, and nibbling softly on her lower lip. Simultaneously he inserts two fingers into her, curling them up and up and up, to drive her higher and higher towards ecstasy. Regina gasps for air, moaning into the man's mouth as sparks whizz by, bursting and crackling through the air above her. Everything clenches inside her as she groans aloud, squeezing her eyes shut, before allowing herself to finally let loose.

And once more, the sun and moon and stars align and become one in the sky. Regina falls hard, descending into a peaceful bliss as she comes hard down in pure ecstasy. Sweat trickles from her brow and down the back of her neck.

Robin hurries, lifting his fingers, now soaked with her fresh cum, to his lips. Regina looks on, biting her own lip as she watches the man clean off the evidence before reaching another hand down to his trousers and undo the hook and zipper. After swiftly pushing both his trousers and underwear down, the man positions himself over Regina once more. Grabbing his length gently, he works himself to become hard for his entrance, which he does slow and steady.

With a sigh, Regina accepts him once more as he fills her completely, becoming one with her once more. He fits like a lock and key, like a glove to a hand. He slides in like a sword to its sheath, to where he finally belongs.

Grabbing onto Robin's biceps, Regina allows the man to take her away once again. Her hips rock back and forth in accordance with his soft and steady thrusts. All the while, gazing up into blue enigmatic eyes, Regina revels in the pleasure that finally she has someone who was able to finally break down her walls for the first time in forever.

The air is filled with hoarse, heavy breaths of the lovers, the soft moans of both man and woman. Thrusts begin to quicken as both quickly find themselves ascending that Jacob's ladder into paradise once more, finding that peace that which both have worked so hard to find and now finally are within but moments of reaching. The stars collide, the earth begins to slow, time itself halts and takes a deep breath. And suddenly the two fall madly into one another, melting as one as they plummet profoundly into the feeling of euphoria; himself spreading his thick warmth inside her, and she exploding around him for the second time this night.

A great tidal wave of pleasure floods their senses, heightening their senses of one another. Nothing else in the world matters except these two. Nothing else in the world exists but they.

And for these few peaceful moments, Regina and Robin remain, wrapped in each other's embrace, without a care in the world.

* * *

"I can't believe you gave me a hickey," Regina breathes in disbelief. It's the morning after, and the brunette has stood for at least ten minutes in front of the mirror on her vanity, scrutinizing the small purplish blue mark on the side of her neck.

"It's barely that noticeable," Robin defends.

"It's _very_ noticeable Robin," Regina huffs, pulling at her skin.

"Regina stop," Robin says, shaking his head, "It will go away soon, I promise."

"Yes, but not soon enough," Regina groans, rolling her eyes, "Now what am I supposed to say if anyone asks?"

"Just tell them the truth," Robin answers with a shrug, as if the answer had somehow been staring the brunette right in the face.

"I can't do that!", Regina exclaims, throwing her hands in the air, "It's embarrassing!"

Robin's eyes widen as he sits up in mock astonishment. "I embarrass you?"

"That's not what I mean!", Regina yells, picking up one of her dead pointe shoes and throwing it at him.

Robin laughs, dodging the flying shoe. "Well then if you're that worried, put makeup on."

"Does it matter? I'll just sweat it off anyway."

"Well then I guess you'll have to wear that thing loud and proud," Robin states with a shrug, giving the brunette a cutesy smile from the bed. Regina stares at the man from the reflection of the mirror and narrows her eyes, though smirking as she shakes her head endearingly.

"It's shocking the things you get away with," Regina mutters. "Now put some clothes on. I have rehearsal to get to."

Robin rolls his eyes, smirking as he stands and pulls on his trousers from last night over his boxers. "I thought you have Saturdays off," he says.

"I do," Regina replies, "That is until it gets closer around to the time of performance. Then, we rehearse six days a week instead of five."

Robin shakes his head incredulously. "You dancers really are something."

Regina smirks, grabbing her dance bag and brushing past him out of the room and towards the stairs. "You don't even know the half of it," she teases over her shoulder. She heads downstairs, marching towards the front door.

"Wait!", Robin calls after her, running down the stairs all the while rushing to pull his jacket on, "You haven't had breakfast!"

"I'll be fine," Regina yells over her shoulder, "I'm late! See yourself out. Lock the door with the spare key. You know where it is." And with that, she is gone.

* * *

The hallway is bustling with both the conservatory students and company members alike. Regina makes her way through the throng of people, heading towards the grand studio to begin her first rehearsal of the day. It's another pas de deux rehearsal, one that which the brunette quickly finds herself dreading due to the fact that Graham will surely notice her delightful little spot on her neck. And after getting shit from Tink about it earlier, the woman finds herself not so easily ready for round two, especially if it is to be Graham this time.

Her head is pounding. She knew she shouldn't have pushed so hard in her warmup class, especially if she hadn't eaten at all yet that day. Nonetheless though, she is stepping into the studio. So upon setting her bag down in her normal spot, Regina begins to get ready as usual. She ties her pointe shoes, slips on her warmup leggings, and takes out her white practice tutu; slipping it on over her hips.

"Morning Regina," Graham greets quietly as he walks into the room. Regina frowns, looking up at him.

"Don't tell me you're trying to butter me up," Regina warns, raising a brow at the man.

Graham raises his hands in defense. "What can possibly be wrong with just saying 'good morning'?", he protests. The man shakes his head. "I don't understand it. You've become so cold."

"I'm not interested in having this conversation right now," Regina sighs, reaching up to fix a loose piece of hair back into her bun. She presses a finger to her temple.

"Regina we need to talk about this, about us, about that other guy-" Suddenly the man halts, leaning forward and eyeing the hickey with widened grey eyes almost as if in horror.

"Graham please," Regina states, her hand shooting to the side of her neck, covering the love bite. "It's none of your business."

"You don't realize how much this kills me," Graham murmurs, "I love you Regina. I always have, but then to see you smile at him like that, and to know you two…"

"Graham no."

"I would have given you everything. I would have given you my heart. I would move with you, back to Harlem or New York City or whatever if that's what it takes." He shakes his head. "What does he have that I don't? What can he give to you that I can't? Tell me. Please."

"Graham stop. It's not like that. Look, I like you. I've always liked you, but you _always_ remained no more than a really good, a really close friend of mine. I keep telling you that."

"I don't believe it."

Regina sighs, shaking her head softly. "Then I don't know what to say. I don't know what you want me to say."

Graham's eyes widen in hurt but he barely opens his mouth to speak when Madam French and the pianist enter the room.

Breathing heavily outward from her nose, Regina turns from Graham and faces the ballet mistress.

"Good morning you two," French begins with a gentle smile, "No need for dallying, let's start right in. From the beginning of the pas please."

Regina nods, taking her position to begin the duet. Luckily, this specific pas occurs in _Act Three_ where Odette dances with Siegfried although he has betrayed her by swearing his love to Odile, therefore allowing the brunette to utilize her present mood to enhance the lonesome, desperate emotion in which the character is portrayed.

The pas is progresses well, the two moving perfectly in sync with one another. However when the part comes for Graham to lift Regina above his head in a pose, the man's back wavers and suddenly Regina comes crashing down atop him as he desperately tries to break her fall. The man lands hard on his back while Regina stumbles atop him, tears springing to her eyes. Madam French halts the music.

"Are you two all right?", she asks, making her way towards the fallen couple. Regina shakes her head, climbing off Graham as hot tears threaten to roll down her cheeks. She keeps her gaze cast downward.

"Regina?", French asks gently. Regina shakes her head, wiping at her eyes with the back of her wrist while Graham scrambles to stand. "You two were doing very well until that lift," Madam continues, "Graham, you must remember what you know already. Keep your back and focus." Regina grits her teeth. "Let's go again. Regina, we'll pick up from the part where you run towards him into the lift."

The music begins again, but Regina's mind is in a whirl. Failure and frustration for perfection overwhelms her senses. Her already injured ankle is throbbing from the fall. Heated tears block her vision, making it all one large swirly mess. The piano in the background echoes in her mind, the rhythms and phrasing hardly making sense to her overwhelmed brain. Her stomach growls, the sound reverberating in her ears. The steps Regina takes towards Graham feel as if they are in slow motion. In the background, she can hear Madam French counting the music out loud. But nothing can help the brunette as she begins to see darkness, her body falling limp as she collapses into the strong arms of her dance partner.

"Regina?", Graham calls, his voice echoing, "Regina!"

Then everything is silent.

* * *

A cool cloth touches Regina's forehead; softly brushing its way from one side of her forehead to the other, leaving a cool trail across her skin. The brunette stirs softly, eyes fluttering open to see Madam French just above her; the look of deep concern etched across the older woman's features.

"What happened?", Regina murmurs, staring up at her with large brown eyes.

"You fainted."

"For how long?"

"Just a few minutes, enough to move you to the green room."

"Oh," Regina replies, lifting her head to scan her surroundings.

"You of all people should know better than to not eat before you dance, Regina," the older woman chastises gently. Regina frowns. "Don't give me that look," French says with a small smirk, "I know a stunt like this due drop in blood pressure in a student or company member when I see one, and with the stress you've been enduring inside and outside the studio…"

Regina sighs, shaking her head. "I'm sorry."

"You scared the living daylights out of Graham too, you know."

"Oh I'm sure," the brunette murmurs, rolling her eyes.

French shakes her head softly, placing the cloth to the side. "I'm not one for gossip, but I do hear whisperings around the studios. And I hear your relationship is a bit rocky, no?"

"Maybe," Regina murmurs.

"Well it is seriously starting to effect your work in the studio. As you know, a good relationship, a good chemistry, must be crucial for your progression and improvement inside the studio, which ultimately leads to your success onstage."

"I know…"

The mistress sighs, "You must work things out with him. Please, at least until the show is over. Easier said than done, I know, but Gold is beginning to grow more and more of an interest in our understudy, Ruby. And Regina, the last thing I want is for you to be is replaced. You deserve this role, more than anyone. You just need to show us that you can do it." Regina looks away, avoiding the eyes of her instructor shamefully. "And don't go taking all of this out on Graham." Regina suddenly gazes back at the older woman, frowning. "I know you well, Regina," French continues with a slight smile, "The man is just as sensitive as you are. It's not a bad thing. But I do think you are a bit hard on him, just as you are on yourself, perhaps even more so."

"All due respect, but you don't know the full story."

"No I don't. But that doesn't mean you can't put yourself in his shoes for once and try to view things the way he sees it. Isn't that what Odette does when she forgives Siegfried although he has betrayed her? Doesn't she step into his shoes for a moment and realizes that he has been tricked, that his feelings are true? The same can be said for Graham. Try to understand what he is going through emotionally. I see the way he looks at you. And even if you might not feel the same way he feels, that doesn't mean he doesn't deserve respect."

* * *

She continues on with rehearsals, establishing little contact between her dance partner apart from executing the steps of the duets that which they must rehearse. Small glances and the brushing of shoulders when they walk past one another constitute the most of their interactions outside of rehearsals. Of course Regina has thought of what Madam French had said. However, she can't seem to bring herself to do such a thing, to swallow her pride and place herself in that understanding, selfless frame of mind. But what she neglects to notice is the man's growing anxiety.

It is six thirty in the evening when Regina trudges through the door, slamming her dance bag on the ground before collapsing onto her couch with an exasperated groan.

"Long day?", Tink calls from the kitchen, "I heard what happened."

"Yes," Regina answers, throwing an arm over her eyes, "And I'm fine."

"Well that's good to hear," the blonde says, heading in the direction of the living room, "Where's Robin? I thought he would stay for dinner."

"He is back with his son tonight," Regina informs, recalling past conversation over the phone on the way back to her apartment.

"I didn't know he had a son," Tink says, tilting her head curiously.

"Me neither. He's four this month. Name's Roland."

"Huh," the blonde huffs, heading back into the kitchen. "Oh and I'm going out again tonight," she states halfway from the other room.

"You are always going out," Regina mutters shaking her head, as it looks like it will turn out to be another quiet night in for the brunette.

* * *

It is late at just about ten thirty when Regina, after binge watching a series on Netflix, finally decides to head upstairs to bed. Wandering into the kitchen, the brunette grabs herself a glass of iced water before carrying it along with her dance bag towards the stairs.

Suddenly however, there is an abrupt loud pounding at her door that halts Regina in her tracks. Her heart rate suddenly begins to pound as she slowly lowers both the glass and her dance bag, leaving them both at the foot of the stairs before creeping towards the door and the incessant thumping. She uses the eyehole to peep through the door when her heart altogether stops. For there standing right under the light of the doorway outside is a desperate-looking Graham.

With her heart in her throat, Regina slowly unlocks the door, cracking it open so that just half of her face can be seen. "Graham?", she asks slowly, "What is it?" Somehow seeing the man at this unusual hour of the night is just unnerving. Something's off about him.

"Is anyone home?", Graham questions lowly, his voice lower and huskier and more breathless than usual. The man shifts from foot to foot.

Regina frowns. "No, why?"

"Please," the man whispers, clearly distraught, "Let me in." But Graham doesn't wait for Regina to answer when suddenly he is pushing forward against the door, causing the brunette to stumble backwards into her apartment.

"Graham—stop, what are you doing?!", she exclaims, trying to regain her balance. Without warning, the man reaches out, grasping her wrist tightly and pulling her to him. Regina's eyes widen as she is instantly overcome with the thick stench of alcohol that pours into her nostrils. And suddenly it becomes clear that Graham is drunk. _Very_ drunk.

* * *

 **Uh oh. Love does crazy things to the minds of some... My many thanks as always for reading, and please don't forget to review!**


	11. I'm Sorry

**Hey all, long time no write! But after finishing my first semester at college, I'm pleased to tell you I will be back on track with this fic. I apologize for the major delay, but you haven't been forgotten! A big thank you for those who have stayed with me. Please enjoy this short little chapter that wraps up the events of the previous, and don't forget to review! Thanks a bunch!**

* * *

It's a funny thing how distorted the mind can be when drunk, how amplified and intensified one's emotions can become when under the influence. And to a person like Graham, the effects are staggering. Regina has never seen him like this before. Somehow, somewhere, amongst the frenzy the brunette can't help the painful constriction in her chest as she sees her friend in this state. The man _was_ desperate. But never in her mind would she have ever pictured him to be _this_ desperate.

"Graham…," Regina pleads, struggling against his deathlike grip, "Let go."

"Just kiss me please," the man slurs, holding her close to himself, "One more time…before you leave with him."

"What?!", Regina yelps as she finally manages to wrench her wrist free from his tightened grasp. "Graham stop. I'm not leaving with anyone."

"Yes you are," the man protests, staggering towards her, "You're leaving…leaving me alone."

"You're not thinking straight," Regina states, refusing to take a step backward, refusing to be afraid.

"Please just kiss me, Regina," Graham begs, reaching forward to take her face into both his hands, drawing her close once more. "I need you." He starts forward abruptly in a messy attempt to connect their lips, causing Regina to stumble backward this time.

The brunette twists her face to the side, but he holds onto her like a vice. "Graham," Regina warns shakily as she reaches up to grab his wrists in attempts to pry him off, "St—stop. Please." But Graham surges forward, causing Regina to keep teetering backwards until she hits a wall with a thud. He presses her hard against it with his body.

Trapped between the wall and Graham, Regina tries desperately to shove the man off her and wiggle out from being up against his hard form. "Graham!", Regina yells fervently as the man catches one of her wrists, pinning it to the wall behind her. Her chocolate eyes are wide in desperation as she tries in vain to reach the man underneath the alcohol. "Please, you need to listen to me—Graham!" Suddenly his lips are upon hers in a harsh kiss. Regina's eyes widen, her breath stolen from her lungs. With a groan, she breaks forcefully from the kiss; the man's teeth raking her lower lip in the process. It is her knee that suddenly surges upward, connecting with the inside of the man's groin. Graham gives a sharp cry as he stumbles backwards, doubling over in pain.

It takes him but a moment to recover before he is moving towards her again. But this time, Regina is ready as she thrusts the heel of her palm upwards against the man's nose. "Ack!", Graham yells, staggering backwards yet again as blood suddenly gushes from his nostrils, dribbling down his chin and soiling his hands.

Regina lets out a gasping breath, pressing her back against the wall in shock, her entire body quivering as she struggles to regain her focus. Her chest heaves up and down, heart still pounding away at her chest. She watches as Graham stands halfway buckled over, his hands cupped beneath his chin as blood rushes from his nose.

The man stares downwards, suddenly silent and still. It almost frightens Regina as she ponders what his next move will be. But he merely sighs, finally gazing up to look at her with hazy grey eyes. "Regina I-", Graham begins.

But the brunette clears her throat, shaking her head before pointing in the direction of her bathroom. "Get the fuck out of this room," she growls.

* * *

Water flows from the faucet. Regina is seated on the toilet cover with a towel, softly dabbing at Graham's nose as he sits idly next to her on the edge of the tub. It's quiet other than the soft trickle of water in the background until Graham breaks the silence.

"I'm sorry," he murmurs, his voice still slurred.

"Come to your senses now huh," Regina remarks bitterly, yet still continuing to wipe the blood from the man's face. At least the bleeding has begun to slow. "My punch has seemed to sober you up some?"

"Maybe…"

"Just—got a little more—drunk—than I thought I would," comes the answer in a stutter.

"What the hell were you thinking?", Regina questions, tilting his head towards her so that she can see that there no longer remaining traces of blood.

"I don't know…lost control."

Regina sighs, shaking her head as she stands up, discarding the towel into the corner of the bathroom. "Come on," she says, helping the man stand before taking the small wads of tissue gingerly from his nose. "Let's get you home."

"Home?", Graham echoes, not budging.

"Home."

"Aren't I home?"

"No, you are not," Regina states impatiently as she grabs the man's arm and tugs him from his seat and back into the living room. Grabbing her coat and keys, the brunette opens the door; a soft gust of wind blowing into the room. "Come on. Let's go. I don't have all night," she states impatiently. And Graham shuffles through, keeping his head down all the way.

The walk is about ten minutes, around the corner and down a few blocks. Regina has walked the route many times before, however never in a circumstance such as this. Upon reaching the destination, Regina grabs the spare key from underneath the rug, unlocks the door, and pushes it open before stepping aside. Graham turns to look at her, eyes glazed over and distant.

"Shall I put you to bed too, tuck you in, or can you manage?", Regina questions in bitter sarcasm.

"No."

"Then get your ass inside, drink a lot of water, take an Advil, and go to bed." Graham sighs, shaking his head as he steps inside the apartment. "Don't sigh at me like that," Regina chides, "You got yourself into this mess in the first place."

"I'm sorry…"

"And I don't need to hear it," Regina states before pointing behind the delirious man, "Go to bed."

"But-"

"Go!"

Graham sighs, turning and teetering further into the room. One last look at Regina and he disappears into the darkness of the apartment. With a sigh of her own, the brunette shuts the door. She turns and presses her back against the door, tilting her head and resting it against the wood. She closes her eyes, willing herself to inhale deeply through her nose in a count of five and exhaling through her mouth.

* * *

Upon arriving back at her apartment, Regina is beyond exhausted. Frustrated with not only Graham but her own self as well, she plops down onto the couch and throws an arm over her eyes. Perhaps it is her fault. Why else would Graham put both himself and herself at risk like this? Had Regina not been half as cruel as she was to him these past few days, none of this would have happened.

In her mind, Regina debates giving Robin a call, terribly in need of the comfort and escape that which he offers. However, the man surely must be sleeping by now if he had spent time with his son this entire day. It is past midnight. But then again, the need for his solace builds a yearning within her chest, just to hear his soothing voice again. So with that final thought, she lifts her phone from her pocket and dials the number.

"Regina." His voice is practically instantaneous.

"You're awake," Regina states, shifting herself to sit on the couch, "What are you doing up at this hour? Did I wake you?"

"No. No you didn't. Don't worry," Robin responds, "Is everything all right?"

"Not exactly," Regina sighs.

"What happened?"

"Nothing I want to talk about right now. I'm sorry. I just—I just wanted to hear your voice."

"My voice?"

"It's…comforting."

"Why thank you I suppose."

Regina smiles just a little, shaking her head. "How was your day with Roland?"

"Very nice, thank you. He dragged me to the park for the umpteenth time. We fed the ducks, ate some gelato. He's still asking about you."

"Really?". Regina's brows arch.

"Yes. He's excited to see you at his birthday party."

"So am I," Regina replies, smirking, "I'm honored to be invited."

"Well the pleasure is ours," Robin chuckles, "He has indeed developed quite the crush on you."

"Really?", Regina asks, eyes widening.

"Yes. He can't but help going on about how pretty you are, and how 'awesome' and 'cool' it is that you do ballet. You're practically a goddess to him."

Regina blushes. "Wow," she breathes.

"Wow indeed."

"And what does his father think?", comes the following question, accompanied by a bite lip.

"Well I think I'm the luckiest man alive. Cliché I know, but it's true. I'm the luckiest man alive to have someone so beautiful, and so filled with a fiery passion such as you. It's only been what? A little over two weeks since I've met you, but I feel as if I'd known you for even longer. You're the most interesting woman I've ever met. You're intelligent, witty, incredibly sarcastic but in the best of ways. You're sensitive, thoughtful, and compassionate despite the way you present yourself outwardly to others. Underneath it all, you have a gentle heart, one that is soft, tender and loving. You've had to make me work hard to dig deep and find it. But that's what I love the most about you."

Regina shakes her head as she listens to his monologue, feeling tears well up in her eyes. "I don't deserve such words," she whispers softly.

"But you do," Robin insists, "You deserve every bit of it. And the fact that you say this now, that you don't deserve it makes it true. You are so humbled."

Regina sighs, still unable to believe his words. "About a week ago you said that you wanted to see me as I truly am without the facade, without the mask. You said you wanted to see what happens behind the curtain when it falls." She shakes her head again. "I'm a monster," she whispers, allowing tears to dribble down her cheeks, "It's my fault. I did this to myself, but more importantly to Graham. I hurt him. I was so cruel to him. Because I loved you. I put him in danger tonight, and made him do something he would normally never be so stupid as to do. And thank God he ended up at my home, and not assaulted, or run over by a car."

"Regina," Robin's voice states, becoming slightly more forceful, "What happened?"

"He came to me drunk," Regina sobs, "I didn't know he would come to this but he did. I didn't know how fragile he was, how desperate his mind was."

"Did he do anything to you? Regina did he hurt you?"

"No," Regina whispers shakily, "Just emotionally, but nothing I couldn't handle."

"Where is he now?"

"Back at his apartment. I walked him home."

Robin sighs, "Regina, I wish you had called me earlier. I wish I was there for you, to protect you, to comfort you."

"No Robin. Please don't get the wrong impression. Graham isn't a bad man. He didn't try to intentionally hurt me. He was just desperate."

"Yes Regina, but desperate people do desperate things. Trust me, I would know."

Regina frowns. "You would know? How?"

"Never mind about that, Regina," Robin sighs. "Look, all that matters is that you are safe."

"Now that I've talked to you I am," Regina murmurs.

"Then I'm happy to have helped in the least bit possible." Regina nods although he cannot see. "And don't blame yourself for what happened. The man must be held fully accountable for his actions. He won't do that again?", Robin questions.

Regina shakes her head. "No he won't."

"Be careful Regina."

"I will. I promise."

"Good. Now get some rest. You must be exhausted."

Regina nods. "I am," she states.

"Goodnight," Robin whispers.

And her smile returns. "Goodnight."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

Her phone rings at precisely eleven o'clock. Groaning, Regina rolls over, refusing to answer it especially when she flips over the device to see her mother's caller ID flashing on the screen. She instead falls back into a light sleep, still terribly exhausted from the events of yesternight. An hour later and she hears the door slam, a sound which jolts the brunette awake, awake for good this time. Rubbing her eyes, Regina's eyes widen as she catches glimpse of the time on her bedside clock.

"Damn," she mumbles, pushing back the covers to come and stand on wobbly legs, still wrought with exhaustion. Trudging all the way to the bathroom, the brunette splashes cold water on her face in meager attempts to wash away the groggy feeling. Upon staring at herself in the reflection of the mirror, Regina sighs softly. She looks pale, tired; her expression that of uncertainty, of profound confusion. Shaking the somber feeling away, she continues to fix herself; applying makeup to cover up the bags underneath her eyes for whatever's left of the day.

"Dang you look awful Regina," Tink comments as she turns from the kitchen counter and gazes at her friend. "What gives?"

Regina shrugs the subject off. "Nothing," she replies, "Just tired."

" _Just_ tired?", Tink repeats, "That's what you always say."

"So?"

"So, 'just tired' always means something more Regina. I've known you a little bit you know."

Regina shakes her head, brushing past Tink to grab herself a bowl for cereal. "Graham came by drunk last night," she confesses after a silence.

"Drunk?", Tink asks with a furrow of her brow, "That's so unlike him. He doesn't even really drink…"

"I know. And he was really drunk. Practically wasted."

"What did he say?"

"He wanted me to kiss him and kept trying too. But I gave him an uppercut to the nose."

Tink snickers. "The poor man," she chuckles.

"The poor man?", Regina echoes offendedly, "What about me?"

The blonde shrugs. "He's a desperate guy, what more could you say?"

"He's weak, that's what he is."

"He loves you."

"That's his weakness."

"Love?"

"Yes."

"Then that must apply to you."

"According to my mother yes. She knows that is why I won't take the job."

"Because you love Robin." Regina nods.

"But don't you know that love is strength too?"

"Not in this case."

"But it is. It's what will keep you fighting for what truly matters to you. It gets you through times like this. Think about it. What has been allowing you to wake up each and every morning? What keeps you going through even your lowest days the past few weeks?"

Regina thinks a moment before smiling softly. "My meetings with Robin," she whispers.

"Yes Regina. See?"

"I called him when I got home from dealing with Graham. I just needed to hear his voice."

"See that's what I mean. You love Robin. He's your-"

"Sanctuary."

"Exactly. That's not something you should let go so easily."

Regina nods firmly, staring straight into her best friend's eyes. "Trust me, I won't."

* * *

It's the beginning of another long week of rehearsals to which Regina is dreading, mostly for having to see Graham's face for the next six days. Speaking of which, she hasn't heard from the man all day yesterday. However, she can't really blame him. She is most certainly not surprised.

When Regina strides through the doors at nine o'clock this Monday morning, she heads for the normal studio for warmup class. Walking towards her normal spot at the barre, the brunette catches the eye of the one man she hoped she at least would not have any contact with for at least the duration of this class. But alas the man makes his way towards her, carrying his shoes in his hand.

"Regina," Graham greets, sitting down next to her place on the floor.

"Graham," Regina returns with a nod, continuing to fiddle with her perfect bun, pinning up an imaginary loose strand of hair.

"I'm sorry…"

"Graham, I don't need to hear it," Regina sighs, refusing to look at him, "It's in the past."

"I know. But for me, for me to forgive myself I need to tell you that. I need to know that everything will be all right between us."

"So that what?"

"So that I can move on."

Regina furrows her brows, turning to look at the wide grey-eyed man in confusion. "Move on?", she repeats slowly.

"Yes," Graham mutters with a shake of his head, almost as if in shame. There's a silence before he speaks again. "You're right you know. I am weak."

"Glad to finally hear it."

"It's just that you're the first woman I fell madly in love with. And seeing you with him…It tore my heart to pieces."

"I'm sorry Graham," Regina murmurs, "But I can't help the way that I feel."

"I know," Graham sighs, "I know that now." He shakes his head again. "I almost hurt you last night."

"You did almost."

Graham gazes at the brunette, eyes shining and glossy. "I don't know if I'd be able to live with myself if I harmed you…all because of my jealousness, my anger and frustration."

"But you didn't. You were just desperate."

"I was. But after what I almost did to you…I see clearer now."

Regina frowns. "It took you one day to finally see clear?", she asks somewhat skeptically.

"The fact that I almost hurt you-"

"My uppercut knocked some sense into you?"

Graham chuckles humorlessly. "Yes, I suppose you could put it that way." Regina nods. "But the truth is, is that I'm willing to let you go now." Regina exhales softly, looking away to avoid his eyes. But the man reaches out towards her slowly, taking her chin to move her to look to him once more. He holds her in his hand in a soft touch. "You love him?", he asks.

"Yes. I do."

"Well I love you Regina," Graham states gently, "But no matter what you choose or who you choose, I'll still love you."

Regina smiles softly. "Thank you Graham," she whispers, "You'll always be dear to me, no matter what."

The two remain locked in each other's gaze until the teacher enters the room and the sound of the pianist warming up the piano begins to echo through the studio. Regina and Graham stand, turning their attention towards the instructor as he begins giving the first warmup practice combination.

The class commences, Regina having thrown herself as usual into getting her muscles warm and ready for the long day ahead. She works up a decent sweat by the end of the class, one that leaves her satisfied and confident in her preparation and readiness for the day, yet not overly exhausted. Heading towards the grand studio just after warmup finishes, Regina mentally prepares herself for rehearsal for the swan scene in _Act One_ with the corps de ballet. This is always a somewhat of a more stress-free rehearsal, as the Master Cassidy tends to focus more on the corps as they need special attention in making their movements to be the utmost precise as well as synchronized with the rest of the group. It is always the backup dancers who make the ballet complete, as they set the tone as well as highlight the lead dancers.

As Regina stretches on the side, keeping warm, whilst Cassidy busies himself with the other dancers, she glances at her phone discreetly to find another missed call from her mother. Rolling her eyes, she tosses her phone on top of her dance bag and groans under her breath.

"Regina?", Cassidy suddenly speaks, calling the brunette, "I'd like to have you mark where you are for the pas with Graham, just so I can view the spacing for the corps."

At that Regina raises her head and nods, jumping up to stand and head towards the center of the studio with Graham. All other thoughts having been pushed aside for now she takes a deep breath and begins to mark through their pas de deux amongst the other dancers.

* * *

 **Don't worry it's not over yet! So much more to come! Thank you for reading and I'll have an update for you shortly!**


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